You know, a lot of Christians are getting caught up in all this ugliness that’s going on in our country right now.
We don’t need to be there. We need to be forceful.
We need to be strong in our conviction, but we’re to be filled with grace and truth as Jesus was speak the truth in grace.
And when we do that, as believers, the Bible says, we start breaking down barriers that have been built up around us and all of a sudden we’re having an impact on culture.
Do you know if every Christian who’s a Christian in America started living like a Christian?
There’d be a whole different situation that we have in this nation than we have right now.
There are many voices in today’s world current time. 805 traffic is light.
Welcome to this week’s episode. I hope everyone is voicing their opinion.
It’s so frustrating, but I feel like she’s about everything.
I think whatever works out for you, that that’s what you should be doing.
And Jesus is no exception to that.
A lot of people talking about people disagree on what he did.
He was kind of a charitable people disagree on what he stood for.
On the other hand, he could have just been a really nice guy just about following the rules.
So how do we hear the voice of Christ above all?
What if there was a clear voice, the son of the image of the invisible God telling you exactly who Jesus is for in Him.
All things were created things in heaven and on earth, how he lived, he forgave us all our sins and what he means for your life.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. And this description of Christ places him above all.
Coming up on turning point, Christ is all in all you say.
Can I do that? No, you can’t do it but Christ can. Why can’t he? Because he’s everything he’s sufficient.
That’s what it means. He’s enough in the Bible.
We have one of history’s most famous letters, the book of Colossians as relevant today as when it was first written, its words form a picture of Christ above all others, the truth of Christ that endures for eternity.
In Dr Jeremiah’s new book, Christ above all, you’ll encounter a Jesus who is alive, interactive, victorious and supreme through a profound study of Colossians.
Dr Jeremiah brings Jesus into perfect focus, providing solid teaching about Christ on which you can build a solid relationship with him.
Request Christ above all, when you give a gift of any amount in support of this program and if you give $60 or more, Dr Jeremiah will send you the Christ above all set, which contains his new book, his entire teaching series on your choice of CD or DVD and a correlating study guide request Christ above all book or set from turning point today.
Thank you for watching. Turning point.
Now, here is Dr Jeremiah with his message, what it means to be in Christ as we jump into our text today, we’re going to look at Colossians 31 to 11 and you will notice there’s a shift in tone and a shift in subject matter.
In chapter three of Colossians. Paul begins the practical application of the doctrines that he has been teaching us in chapters one and two.
Now I’ve explained to you that’s how Paul writes, it’s consistent in all of his letters.
Here’s what we believe and because this is what we believe.
This is how we’re supposed to behave, how many, you know, your behavior is based on what you believe.
And Paul has been talking to us in Colossians about our belief in Christ, who is the resurrection and the life and he’s the creator of the universe and all of these things that we’ve learned.
Now in Chapter three, he’s gonna give us some instruction based upon what we know.
This is what we should do based upon the doctrine. Here’s the duty.
Once again, the key to it all is Jesus Christ and he’s mentioned four times.
In the first four verses of our text, the title of our subject in the book of Colossians is Christ above all.
If you’re not picking that up, you’re not reading the same book I’m reading.
Because listen to this, if then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, set your mind on things above not on things on the earth for you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
First of all, because Christ is in you, you are a new person.
Let’s unpack that for just a moment three times. In this passage, Paul uses the phrase with Christ.
He uses the words with wi th he describes our connection to Christ. Listen in verse one.
He says, you were raised with Christ in verse three.
He says your life is hidden with Christ in verse four, you also will appear with him in glory.
I’ve highlighted the word with, to show you how critical is in this frame of thinking with is a word of connection.
Our lifeline to Christ. The Bible says when he died, we died with him when he was buried.
So were we and when he was resurrected, we were resurrected with him.
And now he is seated at the right hand of the father. And the Bible says, were there too.
So how could that be? Well, let me explain it.
When Jesus went to the cross, he took all of our sins on him.
So when he died, we were there everything that we’ve ever done or will do that’s rotten and corrupt and anti God and sinful and vulgar and just simply wrong everything.
All of it was on Jesus.
When he died, we died with him and when he was buried, we were buried with him.
But thank God, when he came out of the grave, victorious over death, we were with him then so we are resurrected in Jesus Christ were alive in Christ.
That’s what the text is saying. The old you is dead. It’s in the grave.
The new you is raised to walk in the newness of life and to live victoriously for Jesus Christ because of your connection with Christ.
Three things are true about you. First of all, your past has been changed.
Colossians 3 1 and three says, if, then you were raised with Christ, you died.
And the word, if there is not a word of doubt, it’s the word really should be translated.
Since, since you were raised with Christ, you died. First, you’ve been raised up. Second, you’ve died.
Our identification with Christ and his cross has two aspects to it.
First of all, our identity with his death cuts us off from our old life because we died with Christ.
Our old life is in the rear view, mirror our identity with his resurrection connects us with our new life.
In this verse, we know that the history of every Christ follower is, we have been raised with Christ just as surely as Christ marched out of that tomb.
First Easter Sunday. There was a day when David Jeremiah was spiritually resurrected through faith in Jesus Christ.
And at that moment, the Bible says, all things passed away and all things became new. Hallelujah.
And then your present has been changed.
Look at Verse three, your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Now that you’re a Christian, there’s something different about you in the present.
This is expressed in the words hidden with Christ which point to our secure relationship. Listen to this.
The Bible says, we’re with Christ in God. Let me show you how that is.
If you’re a Christian, you’re in Christ and Christ is in God. It’s a double lock on your security.
You’re in Christ. Christ is in God.
The Bible says as a Christian who died and was raised again, your current state of affairs is your life is hidden with Christ in God.
So your past has been changed, your present has been changed.
Notice Paul goes on to tell you that not only is your past different and your presence different, but your future is different too.
Colossians 3 4. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in Glory.
Here’s what it says in first John 32 beloved.
Now we are Children of God and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be.
But we know that when he is revealed, watch this, we shall be like Him. Can you imagine that?
I mean, take a look at yourself.
Come on now, one day, what you see is gonna be so radically changed that the only way to describe it is you will be like Jesus for we shall see Him as he is in the present.
We are hidden. But one day we will be revealed with Christ.
All that is a secret to everyone now will be made known to everyone.
We are in Christ, we are revealed with Christ. Listen to this. We are like Christ, that’s your future.
Now, Paul goes on to say since you’re a new person, you need to have a new perspective on life.
So look at verses one and two again, if then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, set your mind on things above not on things on the earth.
When you become a Christian, your whole life has changed and when your life has changed, your perspective has changed.
Now, your perspective is more upward than it is downward.
Now you realize that if you seek those things which are above, that will help you function in a way that you could never function otherwise.
Grammatically, these are commands. Paul did not say to us that if we would like to do so, here’s an option you have for your Christian life, you might want to try looking up.
No, he says, do it look up.
The Bible says that as Christians were to set our hearts on things above not get so tangled up and all the stuff that goes on in the world around us, but to set our hearts on things above.
One of the reasons why we struggle sometimes on this earth is we weren’t created for this place.
We were created for heaven and we’re living in a foreign country and doesn’t feel like that sometimes and it’s getting more foreign than it’s ever been before.
So not only are we to seek those things that are above, but then Paul goes on, he says it again.
Secondly, we are to set our minds on things above the phrase, set your mind means to focus your thoughts on something.
In other words, it’s the mental discipline of directing your thinking on things that aren’t so earthy on heaven and Christ and spiritual things.
You have to work hard at that.
When Paul wrote this statement, he used the verb tense that means just keep on doing this.
Don’t just do it once, don’t just focus on heaven on Sundays, but focus on heaven all the time.
No, that doesn’t mean you walk around like some zombie looking up in the sky, wandering around and bumping into stuff.
No, it just means change your perspective. What does God think about this? Let’s think this.
I wonder where God is and all this start to think about things from a perspective of a Christian who belongs to Jesus Christ, whose citizenship is in heaven, who one day is going to spend eternity there.
So maybe you should kind of check it out and let it influence what you do down here.
Well, in Christ, you’re a new person in Christ, you have a new perspective as you give your energy to the things above your priorities are going to change.
And now we’re going to get into some serious discussion here. Folks.
He’s gonna give us four groups, we’ll go through them quickly of things that should be true for us if we’re believers.
Now, now that we’ve been buried with Christ and raised with Christ, we have a new perspective that we look at things above.
Now. He says, therefore, there’s a certain way you should live.
Therefore put to death, your members which are on the earth, fornication, unclean nous passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry because of these things.
The wrath of God is coming on, the sons of disobedience in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
The first thing he says is you’ve got to develop some sexual discipline in the Greek language.
The phrase put to death is very strong.
In fact, in some translations, the phrase is rendered mortify, mortify, therefore your members and the word mortify is the word from which we get our English word mortician.
When it comes to the sins of the flesh, we need to be spiritual morticians and bury them in the ground.
So when Paul says we are to put our sins to death, he means to cease completely from activity with the implication of extreme measures taken to guarantee cessation to stop completely, to cease completely, to stop doing it.
In 1665, the great plague raged throughout the city of London.
And those who could afford to leave the city, they left and those who remained were living in terror because the people who remained in London did not know what caused the plague.
The most elementary hygienic precautions thus were ignored. They didn’t know what was causing it.
And the city continued to send parcels of used clothing.
Often the property of the dead to poorer relatives and relief agencies listen to this even clothes that were stripped off.
The bodies of the plague victims were collected and dispatched all over the country to help poor people who didn’t have any clothing.
So imagine a family getting this parcel and proudly and gratefully putting on clothes much better in quality and style to their usual everyday wear.
They discovered that these attractive new garments had come from the plague houses.
With what horror would they strip them off and consign them to the fire?
It is with such horror that we should strip off the old man and his deeds. He has the plague.
You don’t want that in your life as a Christian.
Just because Jesus has forgiven you all of your sins.
That doesn’t mean you don’t have to deal with sin anymore. Can I get a witness?
Everyone knows that he’s forgiven you of your sins.
But some of those old things keep creeping back into your life.
And if you’re not careful, your whole Christian experience can be ruined because you don’t deal with the things that Paul is talking about here in verses five through seven, he gives the Colossians a list of five things they were to ruthlessly eliminate from their lives, followed by one reason they were to put those things to death.
Listen to this fornication refers to sexual immorality in general.
The word fornication comes from the word por nia from which we get our word pornography.
Unclean lous means lustful impurity that is connected with luxury and loose living passion describes a state of mind that excites sexual impurity.
The person who cultivates this kind of appetite can always find opportunity to satisfy it evil desires, just mean that base evil desires and attached to this list of sins.
Is this warning. Listen to this Paul said because of these things, the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.
What Paul is saying is this when you do these things, you’re doing the very things that put Christ on the cross, you’re doing the very things that He came to die and save you from and you’re doing the very things that one day are gonna be punished.
When God comes to judge this world, he’s going to judge these things.
Do you want to be in that category?
Do you want to be doing the things that put Christ on the cross?
You want to be doing the things that’s causing him to come back and, and with all of the judgment on this earth, you’re a Christian.
Why are these behaviors and desires to be put to death?
Because they are the things that God hates and they are the things that make them angry.
It’s interesting to me that in this passage, all of the other sins we’re gonna talk about were told to put them off, this particular package of sins were told to put to death.
You cannot fight with this, you cannot play with it, you cannot make deals with it.
You have to be ruthless and no testament we’re told to crucify the flesh.
You know what it means to crucify something, it’s personal, it’s permanent and it’s pitiless. So that’s what I’m saying.
When you crucify the flesh, that’s what you do, you go after it and you put it to death, you say, well, how do I do that?
You know what to do if you’re in a situation where you’re likely to submit to some temptation, get out of that situation, don’t leave yourself vulnerable.
You say, well, I can’t. Yes, you can.
And you would, if you really were serious about doing what Paul says, put it to death, then there’s mental discipline.
He goes on the same verse five and covetousness which is idolatry. Covetousness is subtle.
Did you know that? Because it is violated totally in the mind.
And the Bible says in this text, it says it’s idolatry.
I mean, I was shocked when I read that again.
I guess I didn’t pick that up the first time around.
The Bible says when you covet somebody else’s stuff that’s idolatry.
It’s an attitude that is an enemy to the sufficiency of Christ.
When you come up with somebody else’s Scott, you’re saying by that, I don’t think Christ is taking care of me.
So I gotta go take care of myself and get something somebody else has got it is idolatry because it raises a rival object of worship.
The writer of Hebrews says that were to replace, coming with contentment.
Let your conduct be without covetousness and be content with what you have. Coveting his idolatry.
The worship of a false God.
Contentment is praise the worship of the true God, sexual discipline, mental discipline. Here’s social discipline.
Paul goes on in the next verse to say, but now you yourselves are to put all these things off, take them off like they took off the clothes when they found out they were from the plague offs, put them off and here’s what you’re supposed to put off.
Anger and wrath and malice. Anger is a feeling of emotion that boils below the surface.
Wrath is a sudden outburst of emotion that flares up and burns with intensity.
Malice refers to getting even malice is what you do when you don’t deal with.
The first two, when you let anger and wrath take over in your life, the next thing you know, you’re trying to figure out a way to hurt somebody who’s done something to you that you don’t like.
It’s really not compatible to be a Christian who was raised with Christ and has a new life and has a new person.
It’s not compatible to be an angry person. Do you know any angry Christians?
But you can’t be angry and be filled with the spirit.
The fruit of the spirit is not anger, it’s joy and peace and love.
And what does Paul say about that?
He said, okay, you Christians, you believers, you new in Christ resurrected with Christ believers put that stuff away, take it off like a, like a set of old played filled clothes, get rid of it, go burn it.
Don’t let that be a part of your life.
And then there’s one last one vocal discipline, sexual discipline verses five through seven. Mental discipline.
Verse five social discipline. Verse eight and vocal discipline, listen to this.
But now you yourselves are to put all these things off, put them off, take them off.
These are bad clothing, take them off, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.
Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with his deeds.
In other words, I’ve already accepted Christ. You’re already a Christian now, start living like one.
Don’t let these old things that are part of your old life, the life that put Jesus on the cross and that’s going to ultimately cause his wrath upon this world.
Don’t let that stuff be a part of your life, be embarr that, that stuff is still a part of your life.
I know a lot of Christians who are struggling with this, they’re working and they’re embarrassed that it still shows up how many know what I’m talking about.
You think you got this stuff all together and all of a sudden something happens, you didn’t expect takes you off guard and you respond like the old man, Paul says you gotta quit doing that.
Blasphemy is defamation of character, slander, don’t slander other people.
You know, there’s not very many good things about what’s happening in social media right now, but it does give you pause before you slander somebody on social media and you want to keep your job, right?
I don’t like it. I don’t think it’s fair.
I don’t think it’s right and what’s happening to people.
A lot of people is really wrong, but I’ll tell you what it causes you pause before you write something that could come back and hurt you while you’re trying to hurt somebody else.
So don’t do that. Don’t slander, filthy language refers to vulgarity in your Christian life.
You don’t want to slander people and you don’t want to be filled with vulgarity and then it says, don’t lie to one another.
Those are three vocal disciplines we all need to develop as Christians.
Finally, in verses 10 and 11, you have a new purpose.
And here’s what it says in verse 10 and you have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created him where there is neither Greek nor Jew circumcised, nor uncircumcised barbarian Scythian slave or free, but Christ is all.
And here’s what he says, Paul just gave us the number one remedy to racism.
Here’s what he says, Christians live like Christians.
And if you do what will happen is racial barriers will be gone.
Greek or Jew, religious barriers will be gone, circumcised or uncircumcised.
Cultural barriers will be gone, barbarians, Scythians and social barriers will be gone slave or free pulses.
When we live the life that we’re supposed to live as Christians, we can even have an impact on culture.
You know, a lot of Christians are getting caught up in all this ugliness that’s going on in our country right now.
We don’t need to be there. We need to be forceful.
We need to be strong in our conviction, but we’re to be filled with grace and truth as Jesus was, speak the truth in grace.
And when we do that as believers, the Bible says, we start breaking down barriers that have been built up around us and all of a sudden we’re having an impact on culture.
Do you know if every Christian who’s a Christian in America started living like a Christian, there’d be a whole different situation that we have in this nation than we have right now.
So let me just end it with this. Maybe your life is not the way it should be.
Maybe you’re a Christian, you know, you’re a Christian, but you hear me today and I’ve been a little bit, you know, back into that whole thing where you’re a pastor, you comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable and I’ve been doing a little affliction today.
You know that I don’t have any choice. I’m teaching this book and this is what’s in the book.
I gotta teach it, but it’s good for us.
And it just reminds us that if we get caught up in that and we become impure or unclean or greedy or angry, controlled by anger, maybe we’re lying about things.
Here’s the point. Listen to me, Christ does not do any of those things and you are in Christ?
Are you with me? Christ doesn’t lie. He’s not angry, he doesn’t have wrath.
He doesn’t accuse people of things that Christ doesn’t do that.
And since you’re in Christ, you don’t have to do it either, that’s what the whole thing is about.
You can take off all those habits and all those desires and instead each day you can dress yourself with the new man, you can focus all your effort, all your attention on who you really are.
You are a pure, clean, generous, patient, honest believer in Jesus Christ now just live like that.
You can’t do that in your own strength. You need Christ in you to do that, don’t you?
I can’t do that by myself. I need the Holy Spirit. I need Christ in me.
And as we end this sermon, we return to the beginning in the first verses of chapter three, we are reminded that we’re with Christ and Christ is in us.
Now, at the end of these verses, we’re reminded, this is the last thing in the, in the text, Christ is all in all you say.
Can I do that? No, you can’t do it but Christ can. Why can’t he? Because he’s everything he’s sufficient.
That’s what it means. He’s enough for everything you need to do in your life.
He’s enough, he will help you. There’s no need to look elsewhere. He can save us from our sins.
Listen to me and he can save us from ourselves. Amen.
And we need more of the second as believers than we do. Of the first.
We need to be saved from ourselves, receive him and love him and follow him and worship him and fellowship with him and share him with everyone.
You know why? Because he’s above all. Hallelujah.
And one day he’s coming back and he will get the credit he deserves when every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord.
So the takeaway from all of this is simple.
One day, he will be Lord over the universe right now today in this place, he wants to be Lord over.
You don’t get so caught up in his lordship over the universe that you forget what it means to let him be lord over you.
He doesn’t want to be resident in your life. He wants to be president in your life.
He wants to be Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Thank you for watching.
Turning point. Dr Jeremiah would like to offer you his new book Christ above all his study of the book of Colossians, which brings Jesus into perfect focus, solid teaching about Christ on which you can build a solid relationship with him.
Yours for a gift of any amount in support of this program.
And if you give $60 or more, Dr Jeremiah will send you the Christ above all set, which contains his new book, his entire teaching series on your choice of CD or DVD and a correlating study guide.
Let Dr Jeremiah lead you into Colossians where you’ll find glory in every verse Jesus in every line and blessing in each chapter.
Thank you for your support of this program request Christ above all book or set from turning point today.
If you have never taken the step to believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can do that today.
If you will allow us Dr Jeremiah would like to send you to resources that will help you.
The first is a book that called Your Greatest Turning Point, which will help you as you begin your relationship with Christ.
And the second is our monthly devotional magazine. Turning points to give you encouragement and inspiration throughout the year.
These resources are yours completely free.
When you contact Turning point today, join Dr Jeremiah for a powerful night of teaching and worship, live in your city, come together with thousands of local believers for his voice, our voice, an evening with David Jeremiah, a one night only tour event filled with encouraging teaching and incredible worship led by Michael Sanchez and the Turning point band to get the details and request your free tickets.
Go to David Jeremiah dot org slash tour.
Next time on turning point, let’s begin to look like the people that we already are.
You’re a child of God, you’re a child of the king. You were chosen before the foundation of the world.
Now, let’s get dressed like Children of the king. Thank you for being with us today. Join Dr Jeremiah.
Next time for his message, the Christians dress code here on turning point.