Psalm 107:1–9, 43 • Hosea 11:1–11 • Colossians 3:1–11 • Luke 12:13–21
This week’s theme is God sets his persistent love on bringing us into fullness of life. In our call to worship psalm, thanksgiving is expressed for God’s steadfast love. The Old Testament story in Hosea presents the moving portrait of God, the ever-loving Father determined to raise his stubborn child, Israel. In Colossians, a profile of behavior is sketched for those whose life is hidden in Christ. The Gospel reading in Luke contains Jesus’ parable of the rich man to illustrate that there is more to life than accumulating possessions.
How to use this sermon resource.
Heavenly Minded and Earthly Good
Colossians 3:1–11 ESV
Today we conclude our visit of Colossians where we have been hearing Paul establish who Jesus is and what he has done for us along with the implications it has for those who put their trust in Christ. Today’s text will be a message along the same lines, only more pointed. The passage can be divided between two parts. First, in verses 1–4, we are given an orientation for our thoughts that are fitting for one who has been baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus. The second part, in verses 5–11, gives us some negative behaviors that should be avoided by those who have been baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Both parts are dealing with the implications of our union with Christ as it pertains to what he accomplished for us in both his death and his resurrection. The first section places emphasis on being raised with Christ and an exhortation of how we should live because of that reality. The second section places emphasis on our death in Christ and an exhortation of things we should not do because of that reality. They both hold together our union in Jesus’ death and resurrection but with a corresponding positive and negative implication. Jesus’ resurrection and death gives us a life to live out and a death to die out. In other words, in Christ there are beliefs and behaviors being brought to life and some being put to death.
You will notice in this passage a prominent dynamic to keep in mind when reading Scripture. Whenever scripture gives us a command, it will always have a coinciding truth that enables the keeping of the command. You may remember from English class that the big words use to describe this concept are indicative and imperative voice or mood. The indicative voice declares what is true or states a fact, like, “The door is open.” The imperative voice is used for requests, instructions, and commands. It tells you to do something, like, “Go inside.”
We’re having an English lesson today only because it is an important concept for understanding Scripture. God’s instructions are never random or without reason, but rather they flow out of a reality — the truth. For example, we’re instructed to trust in the Lord with all our hearts. How can we do this? It is possible to trust God because of this truth: God is always faithful and good. He is trustworthy.
This passage has the indicatives (truths) and imperatives (commands) side by side throughout, so it is a good example to look at to understand this dynamic. We will make note of that as we go. Hopefully, you will see the encouragement that comes in knowing that all of God’s commands rest on a truth that supports the command. For example, the Ten Commandments, or 10 imperatives, are not just random commands God gave to Israel to test their loyalty. Rather, these 10 imperatives are preceded by the indicative, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” It’s after God gives this indicative, this truth and reminder of who he is and what he has done, that he then gives them the Ten Commandments.
When you know the indicative, that this God is the one who is for you so much that he reached down in his own freedom and love to rescue you from a bondage you could never free yourself from, then on that basis, because of knowing that indicative, keeping the commands of this God comes with an understanding of his greatness. This is a God who has proven he is for us. This is a God we can trust. This is a God who wants to set us free from bondage.
So, with that, let’s take a look at what Paul is exhorting or urging the believers in Colossae to do. You will notice that the grand indicative that lies behind all the imperatives is Jesus Christ, who he is, and what he has done.
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. Colossians 3:1–4 ESV
Did you notice the indicative and the imperatives? The indicative is plain and clear, “you have been raised with Christ.” That’s the truth, the reality, the indicative that Paul wants to begin with. Any imperatives he gives from here are connected to this truth. The imperatives are fairly simple to pick out as well. They are, “seek the things that are above,” and “set your minds on things that are above,” and do not set your mind “on things that are on earth.” Can you see the connection? It follows that since we are raised with Christ, we would, of course, want to seek the things above and set our minds on those things because that is where we are. That is our reality. And we would not want to waste our time thinking about worldly things if Jesus has now raised us above it. To clarify, when Paul speaks of not setting our minds “on things that are on earth” he does not mean that we should not concern ourselves with the material world. That’s not what Paul means at all. In fact, that would be what the false teachers would advocate. But Paul is using that language to indicate the things that are “worldly” or those things that are not fitting to our relationship with God or aligned to the kingdom. So, we are not to read Paul’s words in a strict literal way on that point.
You may have heard the expression, “You can be so heavenly-minded that you are of no earthly good.” There is a sense that this is true if by heavenly-minded, you really mean having your head in the clouds. But, reading Paul’s words in this passage, I think it’s safe to say he would not be a fan of this expression. For Paul, seeking and setting our minds on what’s above would be the greatest good we could offer the earth and all who inhabit it. Setting our minds on what’s above is to set our mind on what God is up to in the world, in Jesus Christ. It is to align our thinking with his good purposes for his creation and his good, loving intent for his creatures. God is not seeking to do away with his good creation. Rather, he intends to fill it with his presence, which is exactly what being “seated at the right hand of God” would indicate. So, being heavenly minded is of immense earthly good.
Paul offers up another indicative which will set up the next section. That indicative is, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” He also adds that this hiddenness is temporary. When we see Jesus face-to-face, we will then see all that was hidden. Paul means for us to understand that just as we were raised in Christ’s resurrection, we have also died in his death. We have been baptized into his death and resurrection. It’s helpful that Paul lets us know that who we are becoming in Christ in this life is hidden. When we look at our lives, our shortcomings, and failings, we may quickly conclude that we are nowhere close to being raised with Christ. But the key point of this hiddenness is that it is “with Christ in God.” That’s a really good place to be whether you can fully see it or not. We can trust that God is not blind to who we are truly becoming in Christ. He will see to it by his Spirit that we get there. In the meantime, we do exactly what Paul is advocating. We set our sights and our minds on Christ, the one who is with us and the one who brings us home “in glory.” On that ground we can face the daunting list of imperatives that are about to follow.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Colossians 3:5–11 ESV
Notice the imperative that leads this section. “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you.” Paul just told us the indicative or truth that this imperative or instruction rests on. We have already been put to death in Jesus’ death and burial. Because of that, we can participate in this reality day in and day out. It may be excruciating at times, but we have the sure hope that it adds up to what God is working out in us by the Spirit. And if the reality is that we have died in Christ, why would we want these dead things up walking around, still active in our lives? Besides, Paul also lets us know that it is on account of these “dead” things that “the wrath of God is coming.” That means that God is not going to let these things remain. They are going away for good, so it is to our own hurt to hold on to them — like holding onto a rock that has been thrown into the sea. The rock is going to sink to the bottom. That’s a given, another indicative. Therefore, the imperative is obvious. Let go. Paul of course speaks of putting it to death, which is much stronger than letting it go. But hopefully you get the point.
Paul then lists a number of things which are representative of all that must be put to death. On this note I want to return to the initial statement that being heavenly minded is being earthly good. Let’s just take a quick look at the things Paul lists that need to be “put to death.” We see sexual immorality, impurity, passion (and that is not the good kind), evil desire, and covetousness. Do you think if these things were put to death in our world that that would lead to some earthly good? Well, of course it would.
How many atrocities would disappear overnight if the world were free of just one of these things? This is what God is up to. Ultimately, he is not going to let any of these things stick around to tarnish or harm heavenly earth or his beloved creatures. When we put to death these “dead” things in our lives, we are contributing in a real way to what God is doing in our world right now. Also, we will serve as a witness against all that is wrong in our world that God is setting it right, and God will get the last word on all that is immoral, impure, and evil. It’s going away and you can see it on the way out in those whose lives are hidden with Christ.
Paul’s not done yet. There is more that must go. Before he gives us another list, he reminds us that these things were once part of our walk of life. But now it must all go. Why? Because Jesus has put these things to death in his crucifixion, death, and burial. They have no part in the reality of being raised with Christ. It’s a good reminder to know that we are not excluded from Paul’s instructions. We all need to have these things put to death in us. The Father did not miscalculate when he sent his Son to die for our sins. He was right on target, and right on time … for us all.
Now here is more of Paul’s list of things that must be put to death: anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, and lying. Again, do you think that putting these things to death would benefit the world? Of course, it would. Another example of how being heavenly-minded is of earthly good. Paul changes his metaphor at this point from “putting to death” to “putting on” and “putting off” like you would put off old clothes in favor of new clothes. The new clothes would be the “new self” that has been recreated in the image of Christ. The “old self” is dead and buried in Christ’s death and burial.
Paul will conclude with one final statement: “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” This concludes our time in Colossians and serves as one final exclamation point on how being heavenly minded is of immense earthly good. When we set our minds on heaven above and put to death the earthly deeds below, we are participating in how God is removing all the barriers that once divided all humanity.
The earthly heaven or heavenly earth God has in mind, is one where, not only are we reconciled to God, but we will be reconciled one to another. Distinctions will no longer be used to divide us. We will have Christ in common as he is “all, and in all.” That alone will override any warring factions between brothers and sisters. This is where God is taking us in Jesus Christ. This is the hope we can hold out to the world in the gospel message. The indicative is Jesus Christ himself, who has kept the Father’s imperative to reconcile the world. May we go forward seeking and setting our minds on “the things that are above.” And in that way, we can be so heavenly minded that we are of immense earthly good. Amen!
Ted Johnston—Year C Proper 13
Listen to audio: https://cloud.gci.org/dl/GReverb/GR066-Johnston-YearC-Proper13.mp3
August 3, 2025 — Proper 13 in Ordinary Time
Colossians 3:1-11
CLICK HERE to listen to the whole podcast.
If you get a chance to rate and review the show, that helps a lot. And invite your fellow preachers and Bible lovers to join us!
Follow us on Spotify and Apple Podcast.
Program Transcript
Ted Johnston—Year C Proper 13
Anthony: Our first passage of the month is Colossians 3:1–11. I’ll be reading from the New Revised Standard Version, the updated edition. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 13 in Ordinary Time, August 3.
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth, 3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 7 These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. 8 But now you must get rid of all such things: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices 10 and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11 In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, enslaved and free, but Christ is all and in all!
When we see a statement like Christ is seated at the right hand of God, we can too often think spatially, Ted. But there’s more to it, right? Tell us about it.
Ted: Yeah. Well, this passage, like the whole book of Colossians, is about the supremacy of Christ. And to speak of him as being seated is speaking directly to that and using thought forms that the audience that received this to begin with would be very familiar with.
I’m reminded that not too long, and not too many days ago, we celebrated Ascension Day, which is part of the liturgical calendar that sadly is often overlooked. But here in Colossians 3, Paul is clearly alluding to that as he refers to Christ seated at the right hand of God, which is indicating a key aspect of the reality of Christ, who Christ is, the eternal son of God, fully God, who via the incarnation, became and remains fully human, God in the flesh who lived, died, suffered, suffered and died and was buried, and on the third day, resurrected and 40 days later, ascended to the throne of God, where, in Paul’s thought form, he remains seated, which is to say exalted.
It is not seated, as in oh, let’s take a vacation. It’s talking about his exaltation, the granting to Jesus of all authority, which flies directly in the face of the one who claimed all authority, who was Caesar, that throughout the book of Colossians and elsewhere in his letters Paul pokes at, but Jesus has all this great authority as we’ll see in the book of Hebrews as we proceed.
He has that authority as our high priest who is compassionate and yet powerful and united to Christ via his humanity. Our humanity is ascended with him and therefore seated with him. We share in his power and authority. That is a stunning reality with respect to both Christ and humanity, a reality that was fundamental to Paul’s trinitarian, Christ-centered theology and his anthropology.
So there, there’s an awful lot right there in this passage that we could go on about, but that’s a little bit of a capsule of what he is talking about when he talks about Christ being seated.
Anthony: You mentioned, we are seated with him. Our humanity is, and in that way, we’re active participants of what’s happening to Christ, and Paul goes on to write in this passage that our lives are hidden in Christ.
Then he goes on to say that Christ is our life. Those are brief statements, but Ted, it seems to me there’s quite a lot theologically happening in those declarations.
Ted: That’s for sure.
Anthony: Help us understand.
Ted: Well, I’ll ask a question. Does my life perfectly reflect the reality that I’m seeing with Christ in heaven?
If I’m honest, I’ve got to say no. I’m not proud of that, but it’s the reality. Do people say about me, “Yeah. I see Ted seated with Jesus on the throne of God.” Yeah, probably not. But Paul, being a realist, knows that this is true of us and yet we don’t see it completely. And he would include himself in that and makes mention of that at times in his letters. He does not see himself as being perfected, but he does see himself seated with Christ in the heavenlies, where we share in his perfection.
And so, Paul is encouraging us to realize that truth, as remarkable as it is, as hard to grasp as it is. And he encapsulates that by saying that we are hidden in Christ. We don’t see ourselves, others don’t see us in his fullness, and yet we are in Christ. And by faith, we’re able to grasp that glorious reality of who we truly are in him. And what Paul is telling these Christians in Colossae and us by extension, is that we need to be grounded in that truth and let it define us and lean into that truth and allow it to change our minds and thus also our behavior.
And that is the essence of Paul’s trinitarian ethics, that we always acknowledge first who we are. That’s the indicatives. The declaration of the Gospel: it says, this is true, as crazy, as wild, as stunning as that seems. This is true. Focusing on that reality of who Jesus is and who we are in him, and let that reality guide and empower us to attend to the imperatives, the commands he gives here to live like Jesus according to the Spirit, to live the way of the new self, the new creation of who we are, truly are, and are becoming in Christ. And Paul uses that same logic throughout his letters as he’s dealing with problems that he’s seeing in these congregations that he is writing to and how relevant that is in our day too.
Anthony: One of the imperatives that you mentioned, if you don’t mind me asking a follow up question?
Ted: Sure.
Anthony: He said we must get rid of wrath. And yet in verse six we see that the wrath of God is coming. So, is God practicing something he’s not preaching? How … you know, somebody maybe that’s new to scripture and they see, I’m supposed to as a Christian to get rid of wrath in my life, but God has wrath. How do you reconcile those two things, Ted?
Ted: I think we have to be careful to not say: I don’t like that term, the wrath of God; so, Paul can’t possibly mean that.
Anthony: Yeah.
Ted: Paul’s giving a pretty definitive warning, but a warning is different than a proclamation of what is actually going to happen.
So there’s that. So, he’s not trying to guilt people into good behavior. He is not trying to scare the hell out of them, so to speak, but he is saying, look, this is a serious matter. But you can’t, you can’t deal with the issue of behavior through coercion, through shaming, through guilt. And so, he’s not intending to do that.
And I think one then has to have a broader view of what the wrath of God is. And he doesn’t address that here, but he does elsewhere that God’s wrath is fundamentally expression of the actual nature of God, which is love and all that he does toward us and for us is motivated by his love, is directed by his love, and that includes the times he needs to correct us.
And ultimately, God is going to remove from us those things that are contrary to the true reality of who we are in Christ. And so, if you want to term that an expression of his wrath, that’s okay, but you have to understand the context and you have to understand what God’s motivation is and the tactics, so to speak, that he uses.
And so, there’s a warning here. It’s like folks we’re talking about stuff that is really serious, and there were a lot of things going on in the church in Colossae that needed to be corrected. But ultimately his emphasis is on the indicatives, not the imperatives. The imperatives always follow behind the indicatives, and that’s really important to know.
Anthony: Amen. Amen and amen. And as I heard someone recently say, we can only grow as much as our willingness to be corrected in life and …
Ted: How true.
Anthony: It is a practical truth.
Ted: Yeah, that’s for sure.
Program Transcript
Ted Johnston—Year C Proper 13
Anthony: Our first passage of the month is Colossians 3:1–11. I’ll be reading from the New Revised Standard Version, the updated edition. It is a Revised Common Lectionary passage for Proper 13 in Ordinary Time, August 3.
So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth, 3 for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 7 These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. 8 But now you must get rid of all such things: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices 10 and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11 In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, enslaved and free, but Christ is all and in all!
When we see a statement like Christ is seated at the right hand of God, we can too often think spatially, Ted. But there’s more to it, right? Tell us about it.
Ted: Yeah. Well, this passage, like the whole book of Colossians, is about the supremacy of Christ. And to speak of him as being seated is speaking directly to that and using thought forms that the audience that received this to begin with would be very familiar with.
I’m reminded that not too long, and not too many days ago, we celebrated Ascension Day, which is part of the liturgical calendar that sadly is often overlooked. But here in Colossians 3, Paul is clearly alluding to that as he refers to Christ seated at the right hand of God, which is indicating a key aspect of the reality of Christ, who Christ is, the eternal son of God, fully God, who via the incarnation, became and remains fully human, God in the flesh who lived, died, suffered, suffered and died and was buried, and on the third day, resurrected and 40 days later, ascended to the throne of God, where, in Paul’s thought form, he remains seated, which is to say exalted.
It is not seated, as in oh, let’s take a vacation. It’s talking about his exaltation, the granting to Jesus of all authority, which flies directly in the face of the one who claimed all authority, who was Caesar, that throughout the book of Colossians and elsewhere in his letters Paul pokes at, but Jesus has all this great authority as we’ll see in the book of Hebrews as we proceed.
He has that authority as our high priest who is compassionate and yet powerful and united to Christ via his humanity. Our humanity is ascended with him and therefore seated with him. We share in his power and authority. That is a stunning reality with respect to both Christ and humanity, a reality that was fundamental to Paul’s trinitarian, Christ-centered theology and his anthropology.
So there, there’s an awful lot right there in this passage that we could go on about, but that’s a little bit of a capsule of what he is talking about when he talks about Christ being seated.
Anthony: You mentioned, we are seated with him. Our humanity is, and in that way, we’re active participants of what’s happening to Christ, and Paul goes on to write in this passage that our lives are hidden in Christ.
Then he goes on to say that Christ is our life. Those are brief statements, but Ted, it seems to me there’s quite a lot theologically happening in those declarations.
Ted: That’s for sure.
Anthony: Help us understand.
Ted: Well, I’ll ask a question. Does my life perfectly reflect the reality that I’m seeing with Christ in heaven?
If I’m honest, I’ve got to say no. I’m not proud of that, but it’s the reality. Do people say about me, “Yeah. I see Ted seated with Jesus on the throne of God.” Yeah, probably not. But Paul, being a realist, knows that this is true of us and yet we don’t see it completely. And he would include himself in that and makes mention of that at times in his letters. He does not see himself as being perfected, but he does see himself seated with Christ in the heavenlies, where we share in his perfection.
And so, Paul is encouraging us to realize that truth, as remarkable as it is, as hard to grasp as it is. And he encapsulates that by saying that we are hidden in Christ. We don’t see ourselves, others don’t see us in his fullness, and yet we are in Christ. And by faith, we’re able to grasp that glorious reality of who we truly are in him. And what Paul is telling these Christians in Colossae and us by extension, is that we need to be grounded in that truth and let it define us and lean into that truth and allow it to change our minds and thus also our behavior.
And that is the essence of Paul’s trinitarian ethics, that we always acknowledge first who we are. That’s the indicatives. The declaration of the Gospel: it says, this is true, as crazy, as wild, as stunning as that seems. This is true. Focusing on that reality of who Jesus is and who we are in him, and let that reality guide and empower us to attend to the imperatives, the commands he gives here to live like Jesus according to the Spirit, to live the way of the new self, the new creation of who we are, truly are, and are becoming in Christ. And Paul uses that same logic throughout his letters as he’s dealing with problems that he’s seeing in these congregations that he is writing to and how relevant that is in our day too.
Anthony: One of the imperatives that you mentioned, if you don’t mind me asking a follow up question?
Ted: Sure.
Anthony: He said we must get rid of wrath. And yet in verse six we see that the wrath of God is coming. So, is God practicing something he’s not preaching? How … you know, somebody maybe that’s new to scripture and they see, I’m supposed to as a Christian to get rid of wrath in my life, but God has wrath. How do you reconcile those two things, Ted?
Ted: I think we have to be careful to not say: I don’t like that term, the wrath of God; so, Paul can’t possibly mean that.
Anthony: Yeah.
Ted: Paul’s giving a pretty definitive warning, but a warning is different than a proclamation of what is actually going to happen.
So there’s that. So, he’s not trying to guilt people into good behavior. He is not trying to scare the hell out of them, so to speak, but he is saying, look, this is a serious matter. But you can’t, you can’t deal with the issue of behavior through coercion, through shaming, through guilt. And so, he’s not intending to do that.
And I think one then has to have a broader view of what the wrath of God is. And he doesn’t address that here, but he does elsewhere that God’s wrath is fundamentally expression of the actual nature of God, which is love and all that he does toward us and for us is motivated by his love, is directed by his love, and that includes the times he needs to correct us.
And ultimately, God is going to remove from us those things that are contrary to the true reality of who we are in Christ. And so, if you want to term that an expression of his wrath, that’s okay, but you have to understand the context and you have to understand what God’s motivation is and the tactics, so to speak, that he uses.
And so, there’s a warning here. It’s like folks we’re talking about stuff that is really serious, and there were a lot of things going on in the church in Colossae that needed to be corrected. But ultimately his emphasis is on the indicatives, not the imperatives. The imperatives always follow behind the indicatives, and that’s really important to know.
Anthony: Amen. Amen and amen. And as I heard someone recently say, we can only grow as much as our willingness to be corrected in life and …
Ted: How true.
Anthony: It is a practical truth.
Ted: Yeah, that’s for sure.
Small Group Discussion Questions
- Discuss the importance of how indicatives and imperatives work in Scripture. What difference does it make that all the commands in the Bible rest on a truth given to us?
- How does what Paul says about setting our minds on things above challenge the phrase “You can be so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly good?”
- What are some ways we can seek and set our minds on things above?
- What earthly good comes from putting to death the things Paul has listed in the passage? What specific implications can you think of if just one of these things were put to death?
- Discuss how God’s wrath coming informs the importance of putting to death all the things on Paul’s list.
- According to the sermon, Jesus Christ is the grand indicative of all the imperatives in this passage. Discuss how this is so or what it means to you.
