Summary
What does it actually look like to live with Jesus at the center of everything? That question sits at the heart of this message drawn from Colossians 3:1-4. Paul writes to a church that has been nodding along to deep theological truths about Jesus, and then he turns a corner and asks them to let those truths show up in their everyday behavior. The single practical command he lands on is this: set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. But unpacking what that really means takes us somewhere far richer than a simple call to think happy spiritual thoughts. It turns out that setting our minds on things above means letting our thinking come into alignment with the mind and purposes of God, surrendering our agenda to his, and living as though we are already hidden with Christ at the right hand of God, because according to Scripture, we already are. That spiritual reality changes everything about how we face a hard week, a difficult relationship, or an uncertain future. We are not white-knuckling our way toward a finish line we hope to reach. We have, in a profound sense, already arrived. The invitation is to live from that place.
Key Scripture – Colossians 3:1-4
Discussion Questions
On Justification, Sanctification, and Glorification
- Before hearing these definitions, how would you have explained what happens when someone becomes a Christian? How does understanding all three steps change or sharpen that picture?
- The sermon pointed out that many people mentally skip step two and expect the Christian life to jump from justification straight to glorification. Have you ever fallen into that pattern of thinking? What did that look like for you?
- Andy said that if you are wrestling with sin, that is actually evidence of sanctification at work — unbelievers are not waging that war. How does that reframe the way you think about your own struggles with sin?
On Setting Your Mind on Things Above
- The Greek word behind “set your minds” carries the idea of bringing your thoughts into alignment with someone else’s agenda. Where in your life right now is your agenda most out of alignment with God’s agenda?
- The sermon used the example of Peter in Matthew 16:23, where Jesus told him his thinking was not in alignment with God’s concerns but with human concerns. In what areas of life are you most tempted to think with “human concerns” rather than with an eternal perspective?
- Andy described what setting your mind on things above actually looks like: “to live as though we are there, even though we are not there, because God said we are there.” What would change about how you approach this week if you genuinely lived from that reality?
On the Three Principles
- Think of a hard thing you are currently facing or have recently walked through. How does viewing it as a test — rather than an injustice or a sign that God is absent — change how you respond to it? Read James 1:2-4 together and discuss.
- Make a short mental list of the good things in your life. Now consider: are you treating those things as gifts entrusted to you, or as things you have earned and deserve? What is the difference in how those two postures affect the way you live?
- A distinction was drawn between assignment and purpose. He said his purpose is to glorify God and walk closely with Jesus — and that his role as a pastor is simply his current assignment. What is your current assignment? Are you in danger of making it your identity or your purpose?
Bringing It Together
- Colossians 3:4 says “when Christ, who is your life, appears.” It was asked: is Christ actually your life, or is something else filling that role? What honest answer do you come up with when you sit with that question?
Scripture Reference
- Colossians 3:1-4 — the primary passage of the sermon
- Matthew 16:23 — Jesus rebuking Peter, telling him to “get behind me, Satan”
- James 1:2-4 — considering trials a joy because the testing of faith produces endurance
- James 1:17 — every good and perfect gift coming down from the Father of lights