Part 3: The Key of Promise | Sermon Series 01/12/2025

All right, church, here we go. Go ahead and grab your Bibles, please, and turn to Colossians chapter 3.

Get there myself. Funny enough, for everyone who's on the live stream, you probably just heard me singing solo for about 30 seconds because I realized my mic was on.

They're probably like, what is that horrible noise? That was me praising my Savior all the day long, all right?

So God accepts it. I know it probably wasn't good for you guys, but that's all right. So before we get right into our sermon,

I want to start with the story. Keep your fingers, though, here on Colossians chapter 3, okay? Because that's what we're gonna get into today.

And this is the third part of our Spiritual Warfare sermon series. The last sermon will be next week, and we have a guest preacher.

It'll be Ed Romine from First Baptist Provo. He'll be preaching next Sunday. But listen, guys.

There was once a man who, through the reading of a precious truth, realized that the world was not as it seemed.

That even he was not as he seemed. He lived in a city whose passions were that of the world—earthly desires, drunkenness, passions, and lusts—where the heart of men sought comfort only in what the eyes could see.

Where people lived purely by sight, yet they were blind to the spiritual realities that encompassed their hearts, that enslaved them to sin.

These people, they did not seek God, they did not understand God, all had gone astray, and they heartily approved of wickedness.

They were, as the Scriptures put it, children of wrath, and their father was that of the devil.

This city was called the City of Destruction. And upon the reading of a precious truth, a man named

Christian realized that his city was soon to be destroyed. And in his fear, while carrying a massive burden on his back, he flees to what the

Scriptures call is the Celestial City. And within his journey,

Christian comes across many different challenges and many different people who seek to take him off the path to the

Celestial City. He comes face to face with many lies, many lies, and at one point of his journey, he, along with a man named

Hopeful, hop off the path near the River of Life in a meadow, and they take a path by what seems to the eye's glance to be a less rocky, easier route, to what they thought with their eyes seemed like a better path to take.

Now Hopeful, in this moment he was doubting, but Christian, being in Christ longer than Hopeful, persuaded him, and Hopeful listened.

Hopeful joined him on this new path, which by, again, the desire of the eyes seemed to be the easier route to the

Celestial City. But Christian was wrong, and both Christian and Hopeful became prisoners of the giant

Despair within his land of Doubting Castle. And now the giant had a wife named

Diffidence, and Diffidence means lack of confidence, lack of faith. And she counseled her husband, the giant, to berate

Christian and Hopeful in order to destroy their faith. He told them lies about themselves and their positions as prisoners within Doubting Castle.

They were told that it would be better for them to kill themselves than to continue on as prisoners.

For days on end, Christian and Hopeful were beaten by the giant, starved, and left for dead.

They were in the chains of Doubting Castle by the hands of the giant Despair, but they didn't. He showed

Christian and Hopeful the remains of the pilgrims that had come before them on their way to the

Celestial City, their skeletal remains, and said, this will soon be you, and I will destroy you by my very own hands.

Now when things seemed worse, to be at their worst, really, he said, kill yourselves now, or this is what's going to happen to you.

When the world was at its darkest, when the flesh of Christian longed for comfort, the devil came and whispered in his ear to take his own life, this was spiritual warfare.

But in the midst of the darkest point of Christian's life, he turned to God in prayer, and through faithful meditation he understood something that once brought him back to reality.

Though he was in chains, though he was a prisoner by what seemed to be a giant that could crush him in seconds, though what appeared to be all around him was death, disease, and self -deprecation, the key to get out of the prison was within his bosom all along, it was within his heart.

And this was the key called Promise, and this key unlocked any door that held him and Hopeful captive within Doubting Castle.

And in that, they fled from the land of the giant and back onto the King's Highway to the

Celestial City. It was that simple. When the truth was known in his heart, he was instantly out of chains.

So like Christian in Doubting Castle, we too have a key of Promise, whom is

Christ, in whom is hidden all wisdom and knowledge, and we are hidden in him. Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and he frees us from all bondage.

Like Christian, we too are on our way to the Celestial City, and within that journey as a

Christian we are cast into warfare, whether we like it or not. Hearing is the lesson we can learn from Christian.

Within the lies of the enemy, the truth is still within us. He, the truth embodiment, will never forsake us.

In order for us to see our lives for what they truly are, we must see past our circumstances and into the

Promise. We must. Our war is not a flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

And this is the point of this sermon, to present you with the key to spiritual warfare, the truth within the battle of lies.

To remind you that it's actually an honor, it is an honor to wage war with the King of Kings.

It is an honor to share in the sufferings of the God of glory. That this war that we are in has already been won.

Jesus Christ is the general of the Lord's army, and the battle we face with the world, our flesh, and the devil, is not one where we ought to ever be overcome, but one in which through holding fast to the

Promise, we are called to storm the gates of hell, which will never prevail against the

Church. So I want you to have a correct understanding first of who you are in Christ, and your position in the

Lord's army, so that in every aspect of life, from your home, your marriage, your job, your children, and children, your relationship with your parents, how you function in school, so you can understand the battlefield.

And with understanding your position in the battlefield, you can leverage yourself within the war for the kingdom of God.

My goal is that you would retain these heavenly promises, which are the key to worship in the midst of spiritual warfare.

To be like Christ, resisting the devil, the father of lies, with the truth, which has been revealed to us by the

Spirit in his Word. It's the point of today. So let's pray. Dear God, I come before you as a minister of the gospel,

Lord. It's a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living

God. To prepare something that Lord has preached before you, and the angels today, and your people.

Let me be far from error, God. Let me shrink and you decrease.

Help me, God, to preach your truth with a boldness and accuracy, God. I can't do this without you,

Lord. My mouth will fail me, but Lord, you are the one who created the mouth. Lord, I pray that our hearts in this room today will be encouraged by your

Word, Holy Spirit, that you will convict and bring conviction where necessary,

Lord. If there's anyone in this room who doesn't know you today, God, I pray that by the power of your Spirit, and the truth of the gospel, that you,

Lord, will regenerate and save individuals from the flames of hell today. Lord, I love you, and I thank you for this opportunity.

It's in your name, I pray. Amen. So if you're looking at your Bibles, go ahead. Colossians chapter 3 verses 1 through 3 is what we're actually going to be going through today.

I think I put in the bulletin Colossians 3, 1 through 4. I don't know why I do that. I always make a little mistake in the bulletin, but that's okay.

God is gracious. God is gracious. So Colossians 3, 1 through 3. 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.

You cannot understand the warfare that you are in if you do not understand first the position that you hold in battle, and to understand the position that you hold in battle, you must understand that you are in Christ.

There's a very truth that ought to be grasped in the Christian's life and walk, which is that you have been raised with Christ, and we're going to get into that.

So what we are going through today is spiritual. It's spiritual in nature, but it's not without earthly ramifications.

So firstly, I want you to understand that your position in this warfare, it has nothing to do with your height, your physical strength, your athletic capabilities, your appearance, where you live, you name it.

Fill in the blank. If your understanding of who you are in Christ, because that's what we're going to focus on, if your understanding of who you are in Christ comes from any other source other than Christ and his word, you will not understand your position in this warfare.

You won't understand it. The base reality of who we are now is the spiritual truth that first comes from who you are in Jesus.

Look at the scripture in question, and let's sit at the first section, Colossians 3 verse 1. If then you have been raised with Christ.

So Paul here, for quick context, is speaking to the church in Colossae, and he is reminding them of something.

You see, we're fast -forwarding into the letter about halfway through it, and this church, like the church in Ephesus, was comprised mainly of Gentile believers who were once entranced by pagan practices.

In chapter 2 of Colossians, we are told by Paul that Jesus Christ has what, disarmed all rulers and authorities, and has put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him, in the resurrection.

So now as Christians, we must think in biblical categories. These former pagans that he's writing to were once children of wrath, like all of mankind.

Go back even to the Catechism. In Adam, all die. But now, now they are in the family of God through his grace.

That means something. There's truth in that. In Colossians chapter 2, Paul captivates the church in Colossae by telling them that all hidden wisdom and knowledge is in Christ, and that they have been filled, they have been filled with him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

That who they are now is different than who they were before. Now in chapter 3,

Paul is consistent, like he is in all of his epistles, that he tells the church that they have been raised with Christ.

Go read Romans. It's all over Romans. There's something true, I think, that we we lack so much when we read the epistles, and it's actually believing what some of the words say.

And I want you to believe it today. The statement of being raised with Christ is not merely a concept.

This is a spiritual reality of all who are in Christ Jesus, and we must, we must believe it in order to leverage ourselves in this battlefield.

In order to be successful in this battlefield, within this spiritual warfare, we must believe this statement.

You, Christian, have been raised with Christ. I want this to transfer from your head into your heart today, because what we're being told here is true.

This is true. We don't listen to the lies of giant despair, right? We want to listen to what the truth is in God's Word.

This isn't a plethora of encouragement. This is a fundamental reality for all who sit here in this crowd.

You, if you believe in the Lord Jesus for your salvation, you are in Christ. You are in Christ.

And how can we explain that? Well, Paul in Romans 7 details in human terms what has happened to God's people through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And this is key to understanding spiritual warfare, because this is who you are now. So listen up.

In Romans 7, a human analogy is given by Paul of marriage. He states that when you are married to your spouse, as long as the two shall live, they are united.

However, when one dies, they are no longer bound by what Paul calls the law of marriage, okay?

And he's making an argument. He's building a case. He's showing that all of us apart from Christ are married to the law, and our headship is that in those of Adam.

He is our representative in which we all fall under condemnation through the law.

In Adam, we all die. We are born married to the law. So if you can imagine with me, okay, two people.

We have Adam over here on your right, my left, and Christ over here on my right, your left.

I think that's how it would go. Adam was a direct creation of God, meaning that God took him from the dirt and breathed into him the breath of life.

He was created upright, like our old catechism showed, but men sought out many schemes.

In that he sinned, and death passed to all men through Adam. In Adam, again, all die.

The wages of sin is death. And in Adam, every one of his offspring, his progeny, they all inherit a sinful nature.

We all inherit a sinful nature. Not one is outside the curse of the law.

Romans 5, 12. Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man in death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.

This is what it means to be in Adam, in Adam, all die. Outside of Christ, we are all under the headship of Adam.

Every single person on earth is what Scripture calls a child of wrath. You've got to understand this.

If you want to know what it means to be in Christ, let's think about who we were before we were raised with Christ, okay? What are some ramifications of being a child of wrath?

This isn't gonna be an exhaustive list, but this should help you just think in these categories. Number one, war with God.

We are all at war with God. We have enmity with God as children of wrath. Number two, we're enslaved to sin.

We are not free to uphold the law. We are under condemnation of the law. Number three, there is no spiritual truth found in a child of wrath.

None at all. No matter what the pagan religions want to tell you, they have no spiritual truth. They are blinded by the lies of the enemies.

And four, eventual death in judgment. That's what it means to be a child of wrath. Now man, if we were left to our own devices as children of wrath, we would never have peace with God.

Ever. Something or someone was needed in order to pay the penalty of sin.

What is the wage of which we owe? Death. Yet the death of a sinful man could never pay the penalty required.

So the wages of sin is death. We die, but that doesn't satisfy the righteous requirement of the law, because our blood is not a propitiation for our sin.

We can't offer our blood and our sacrifice to God in order to give us a right standing with God, because we offer him tainted works, tainted blood.

Something was required. The blood of goats and bulls could never pay the price.

The blood of any other man from Adam could never pay the price. Psalm 49 10 states, no man can ransom another man's soul, because the cost of the soul is too pricey.

So what was needed? We needed the sinless sacrifice of a man, for it was man who sinned against God.

Herein enters the God of promise into his own creations. We have Jesus now. So picture to the right of Adam and all of Adam's progeny, which is every single human on earth, we have

Jesus now. Now the man Jesus, not his divinity, not his God, was also a direct creation of God, the man

Jesus. You know Jesus, the Word made flesh is eternal. Direct creation of God like Adam, conceived by the

Virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit, Jesus the Christ was sinless. He doesn't fall under Adam's headship.

He's outside of that. He now is there, okay, born from the

Virgin Mary, sinless. He is what scriptures call the second Adam, for that very reason.

So thinking in terms of Romans 7, since we are all married to the law under the headship of Adam, we are unable to come underneath the headship of Christ by our own accord.

We can't just transfer under Christ by our own will. We are enslaved to sin.

In Adam all die. There is no spiritual truth in us. We are on a pathway to judgment.

No one seeks God. No one understands God. All have gone astray. The venom of asps is under our lips. Our throats are that of an open grave.

Romans chapter 3. You cannot live with someone, like Paul states in Romans 7 as well, if you want to read it later, you cannot live with someone other than your bride.

It would be considered adultery. We're under the law. We're under Adam. Our bodies and our souls are enslaved to sin under the curse of law outside of Christ.

Remember, again, the wages of sin is death. However, Jesus Christ, the second

Adam, without sin, fulfilled the works of the law where we were born in failure and never could.

Listen to this. This is Romans 3, 21 through 25. If you want, you can turn there and read this with me.

I'll wait just a second. This is the beautiful truth here.

Hear God's Word, Romans 3, verses 21 through 25. Let's praise

God when we read this. This is amazing. But now, the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law.

Although the law and the prophets bear witness to it, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

For there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and are justified, declared righteous, by His grace as a gift through the what?

Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Redemption, redeemed. There was a debt that we could never repay.

The wages of sin is death, but even our death couldn't fully pay the wrath of God. Jesus Christ, in His righteousness, redeemed us, paid it.

He paid the cost of our souls. Not only that, He accredited to us His righteousness.

We have more than just a paid debt. We have accredited righteous now through Jesus because He was perfect. So listen, let's keep going here.

Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood.

The blood of Jesus Christ purchased something. It was a propitiation. It appeased God's wrath.

Remember, the sinful human, our blood, from birth, children of wrath, would never ever satisfy the righteous requirements of the law.

It was tainted, but Jesus Christ's blood was that propitiation to be received by faith.

He came to die. This was to show God's righteousness because in His divine forbearance,

He had passed over former sins. It was to show His righteousness at the present time so that He might be the just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

It's beautiful. The just and the justifier. He is the judge of all righteousness, but He is also the one who declares us righteous.

Through Him and to Him are all things. To God be the glory forever. We really need to understand this because when

God saved our souls, something truly happened to us.

Something real. It was real. Though spiritual and first in nature, it is a fundamental reality you need to grab hold of this, that we are no longer who we once were.

We're not. The sinless Son of God paid the full penalty of sin on all who believe in Him.

He was the propitiation. Apart from the law, the righteousness of God paid our ransom by His blood.

Romans 7 tells us you have also died to the law through the body of Christ.

Remember Romans 7. You can't be outside of the law of marriage unless there is a death that occurs. Jesus Christ as our representative for all who have faith and believe in Him, His body died so that we could be dead to the law and risen alive in Christ.

That occurred. That happened. There's a spiritual reality there that you need to hold on to this truth.

This is how we wage war. We wage war first knowing who we are in Jesus and knowing what Jesus has done for us.

Jesus is not an idea. He's a person. Something happened. Let's believe it. What does he say?

I'm gonna read it again from Romans 7. He says, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God.

That is absolutely beautiful. You cannot bear fruit for God unless you are in Christ.

What does he say? I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.

Apart from me you can do nothing. Are you getting it? Are some of the pieces clicking right now?

Through our belief in Jesus by the power of God, we pass from death under Adam and into life in the second

Adam. We have died to the law and have become children of God, no longer children of wrath.

Redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ, the price of our souls has been paid by the one who knew no sin and we now belong to him.

We are his possession. Not only that, we have been raised with him first in the

Spirit, guys. First we're raised in the Spirit and at the end of all things, the end of the world, in body as well.

So through faith, like Colossians states in chapter one, we have been transferred from the domain of darkness and into the kingdom of his beloved

Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. So let's compare the two, being under Adam and being in Christ, being raised with Christ, Colossians 3 chapter 1.

In Christ, now we have peace with God. Children of God, not of wrath.

Adopted into his family by the blood of Jesus Christ. Two, we're free to uphold the law without the condemnation of the law.

Three, we can walk in the Spirit, not according to the flesh.

And that's absolutely essential when understanding spiritual warfare in Colossians chapter 3 here, because when you seek the things that are above, you're walking according to the

Spirit, not by what your eyes see, okay? Four, we now have eternal life in an inheritance in Jesus Christ.

These are true. You must remember this. In understanding spiritual warfare and our position in the battlefield, who we are now as new creations are people who have been raised with Christ.

So our position in the battlefield, in this spiritual warfare, is alive and in Christ, being filled in him who is the head of all rule and authority.

We are called to walk in the Spirit. Colossians 3, 1. Since you have been, if then you have been raised with Christ, let's continue on, seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

You can do that. That is true. That is what you're commanded to do. The key to spiritual warfare is inherently linked to our identity in Christ.

Inherently linked to our identity in Christ. Here in Colossians, we are told exactly how a new creation must inherently think while operating in this world.

If you've heard me preach before on Colossians or on the sermon series on Philemon, you'd probably understand that Colossians and Ephesians were written at the same time and they were sent out, of course, to two different churches.

So Colossians expands and Ephesians expands on concepts where Colossians doesn't and Ephesians doesn't, of course.

I recommend reading these two letters back to back. It's absolutely beautiful. It's absolutely beautiful.

Paul goes over and over again in Ephesians talking about walking in a manner worthy of the

Lord. But here's the thing. We must seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

What does that mean? As new creations, we are not allowed to live in the flesh, to surmise.

What do I mean by that? So we're not allowed to surmise our own well -being through creature comforts or our current circumstances in life.

So in other words, our temporary earthly circumstances are not our eternal condition.

So if your soul joy is found in your earthly comforts, you are not waging war. You're only fighting yourself.

You're only fighting yourself. Hear me clearly. If you are in the midst of spiritual warfare, and we all are, but if you're in spiritual warfare right now and you're not walking in the

Spirit and are not seeking the things that are above where Christ is seated, you are fighting a spiritual war in the flesh and you will not be successful.

It will not work. You will not succeed. You will be rendered useless in the kingdom.

You will be like a soldier in a foxhole during World War One who is shaking in the corner from PTSD. You'll just be shaking there.

You will not be living in the reality in which you have been called, Christian. You will ultimately have a flawed view of the war and believe the propaganda in the lies of the enemy because you're walking according to the flesh, according to what you can see, according to what you can hear, and not living according to the

Spirit. What do I mean by that? What do I mean by that? One, the war in which we fight—listen to this—the war in which we fight has already been won.

It's already been won. As the head of Goliath was severed from his body and the

Israelites were called to conquer the Philistines, so has the head of the serpent been crushed under the feet of the crucified one and he rose from the grave.

You, church, are called to be on the offense in this war. To storm the gates of hell, child of God, they will not prevail against you.

It's the words of Jesus. Do you believe it? Do you believe it? I hope you will after the end of this.

You are not to be blind to the devices of the enemy. You are to—what ?—resist the devil and he will flee from you.

You are not just a soldier on the battlefield whose general is far from the enemy lines. Listen, you don't have a general who just sits back, tells you what to do, and then you storm, running to the gates of hell, and just get shot by stuff, and just sit there and die.

No, no, no, that's not true. You are filled in him who is the head of our rule and authority.

Jesus Christ is with you in this very moment. Do you believe it? Do you believe it?

Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. You are united to Christ. The enemy will never snatch you from his hand,

John chapter 6. Again, the Spirit of God lives in you. Everything that I said here was from the scriptures.

These are the things that are above, where our minds must be placed, seated with Christ, seated with Christ.

Do you believe this, Christian? Do you truly believe who you are now in Christ? Listen to Romans 8, 15 through 17.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into into fear.

You have received the spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry, Abba, Father.

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Elizabeth Elliott's book, Suffering is Never for Nothing. Great book. Recommended.

It's true. Just because you suffer doesn't mean your eternal condition of your soul is up for grabs.

No. It's actually a grace to suffer for the name of Christ. These truths are the things that are above, where the embodiment of truth is seated.

The key, the key in which we wage war is this. We trust what God says rather than lean on our own understanding.

We do not lean on the flesh. We live by the Spirit to have the mind of Christ, to have the mind of Christ.

It's like Christian in the book Pilgrim's Progress, when I was going through that little story. If you've ever read Pilgrim's Progress, read it to your children or read it yourself, you're probably thinking, oh,

I've heard this story before. But what was the key? How did he get out of there?

By faith. By faith. Whatever the giant had told him in Doubting Castle, none of it stopped him from the

Celestial City. None of it. None of it. There's a really good quote from J .C. Ryle from the book

Holiness. I love the book. It's amazing. He says, you might as well,

Christian, if you're going to heaven, well, because you're going to heaven, because you have faith in Christ, you have full assurance of your salvation through the completed work of Christ on the cross.

Since you're going to heaven, you ought to go to heaven with your head held high, not hung low, in terms of your faith, right?

So we have the pilgrims by Doubting Castle that were destroyed, ripped up by the giant despair. Their end is the

Celestial City as well. They have faith in Christ. They have faith in Christ, but they should have went with their heads held high, not believing the lies of the enemy.

Not believing the lies of the enemy, if they are truly in Christ. Again, we must trust what

God says, rather than lean on our own understanding. And what does God say about our current circumstances in which we live?

What does he say? God tells us with regard to any circumstance that we are in, that it is for our good and for his glory.

Romans 8 28. Do you believe it? That's the question.

It really is quite simple. God has told us that he has determined the end from the beginning.

What you are going through right now, whatever it is, if you are one of God's children, it is for good.

It is for good. Do you believe that? If not, may I ask you, is God a liar? Is God a liar?

He isn't a liar. And I say this with so much humility here.

Please, please wrestle with this, okay? If you're having a hard time believing that whatever you are going through is working together for your good and God's glory, you might be listening to the lies of the enemy.

You might just be entertaining them. You might not be seated where Christ is.

Again, I say this with the utmost care and respect because we are humans. We live in a fallen world.

All of us here have dealt with trauma, suffering, evil, and wickedness. You sitting here, you may have experienced horrors that are unimaginable, unspeakable, and the pain that you experience from whatever has happened to you is tangible.

You feel it. It's weighty and you carry it with you every single day. Your every breath is shallow.

Your lungs are on fire. It's like every single day you're learning to breathe in water and every day you just can't wait to fall asleep at night to avoid drowning in that pain.

I get it. But understand this, that God, the God of glory, will make everything right.

He truly will. You will receive justice one day. If there was an injustice given to you today, that the law has not settled in front of you, one that there is no restitution, it could never be repaid because something horrible may have happened to you, you will receive justice at the end of time.

God says he will make everything right. He really will. But let me tell you something, Christian, and please hear me clearly because I'm not trying to be insensitive to you.

I'm really not. I want you to be free from the burden that you are carrying. Number one, you are not defined by your trauma.

Number two, you are not defined by your past. I pray this encourages you. What does

Paul say in Romans? What does he say in Colossians? What does he say in almost every single epistle? You have died with Christ and have been raised in new life.

The old Andrew, the old me, is dead and gone. The old Matt, the old Josh, the old

Kade, the old Cole, the old Craig, you name it, whatever your past has, the old Eric, the old Dusty, dead and gone.

Crucified with Christ, you have been raised in new life. Do you believe it? Do you live that way? Or do you think you are your past?

The enemy does not want you to believe this. The enemy wants you to be in the grips of your past in order to render you useless in the battlefield.

He wants to render you useless. Don't allow it. Remember the verse from earlier, from Romans 8, you have not received the spirit of slavery to what fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons.

You have been raised to new life. Absolutely beautiful.

Absolutely beautiful. Don't be the the soldier in the foxhole who is traumatized because of what's going on around him when the war has actually already been won.

Don't be that person. You've been raised to new life. Number one, you are defined by Christ.

Number two, you are a child of God. Number three, you are a new creation. Number four, you have eternal life.

This is why Paul can say this, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Can't even be compared. For what you have promised to you now in Christ, listen, is greater than anything that any person could have ever taken from you.

What you have now in Christ is greater than anything any person could have ever taken from you. Do you believe that?

God works all things together for your good and his glory. So that if then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Continuing on, he explains it again, says it in different words. If we're not fully grasping it, set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth,

Colossians 3 .2. This is the call to all waging war with the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Walk by faith, not by sight. Like Paul tells the church in Galatia, I have been crucified with Christ.

It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. In the life

I now live in the flesh, we're still here, we're still in the world, we still have things that we deal with. The life that I now live in the flesh,

I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

That's the key. Heavenly mind, faith in Christ, know who you are, know what he reveals to us in his word.

And that's absolutely beautiful even to think about. He doesn't say just seek the things that are above and just leaves you empty -handed with nothing.

No, you've got all of this right here. Are you reading it? Do you know it? Gotta read it, gotta know it.

Was it not the Lord of glory who taught us such things while he was walking on earth? Did not

Jesus teach us this? When the devil came and tempted the Lord, when he offered

Jesus the nations, if only Jesus would kneel down to worship him, did not our Lord rebuke the devil with the word of God?

He didn't seek to avoid his death on the cross by focusing on the earthly pain he would soon face. Don't be deceived,

Jesus knew he was coming to die. John chapter 3 says so, just like the serpent was lifted on the staff in the wilderness, so shall the

Son of Man be lifted up and all who look upon him shall have eternal life. He knew he was coming to die.

The devil says you don't need to die, I'll give you the nations right now. Number one, the devil's a liar. Number two, Jesus rebuked him with the word of God.

He set his mind on things that were above, not on things that are on earth. He had a mission to do.

Upon the garden of Gethsemane, at the capturing of Christ, did Jesus send legions of angels to rescue himself from the hands of wicked men?

Nope. Nope. He set his mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

When he was reviled against, cursed, mocked, placed on a false trial, did he revile against those who placed him there?

Did he threaten them? No. What does Peter tell us? Instead, he trusted in him who judges justly.

He set his mind on things that are above. When his beard was ripped from his body, his skin flayed away from his bones, and his organs were seeping out from his frame while he was hanging on a

Roman cross, did he miraculously remove himself off the cross, heal himself, and remove his suffering, even though he could?

Nope. He set his mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. He has a people he came to die for.

The propitiation for our sins was his blood. He was obedient to the Father, even to the point of death, death on a cross, so that his people could have a relationship with him.

As wicked and undeserving as we are in love, he predestined himself, or he predestined us to adoption to himself.

That's love. His mind was set on those things, not with what he saw ahead of him.

It's the warning of Christian, right, from Pilgrim's Progress. He was on the river of life, by a meadow, even though the road starting started to get a little bit more shaky, he saw another road that was more appealing to his eyes, and took that, and ended up in Downing Castle.

It's not by everything you see. My friends, this is waging war in the midst of suffering.

Though we experience pain in this fallen world, we are called to endure and trust in God. Yes, we will face many challenges, but shouldn't we face them like Christ?

Shouldn't we face them like Christ? By setting our minds on the will of God, trusting in his word, our earthly circumstances do not determine the position of my soul, because like Paul states in Colossians 3 .3,

for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Jesus has you. He'll never lose you. He hides your life in him. I am his, and he is mine.

I am promised eternal life. The undeserving wretch that I am has been granted an inheritance that can never be lost.

My life is hidden with Christ in God. There is nothing that the world, the flesh, and the devil can do to my eternity.

With this mindset, I want you to understand something. Spiritual warfare is for your benefit.

It's for your benefit. It's not for your detriment. It's not for your detriment. It never will be. I'd have to be convinced by the scriptures of the opposite.

You are not to be merely on the defense, taking blow after blow from the enemy.

I am not to be lying down on the floor ransacked by the lies of the devil. I am not to be entertaining the flesh by walking according to the flesh.

I must be walking in the newness of life. I ought to change the way I think about the life that God has ordained for me by believing what

God says about my position, not the lies of the enemy. There's the full armor of God.

There's the sword of truth as well. You wear all of it to what? Wage war. Wage war with a heavenly mind.

You're not just sitting here taking shots from the enemy. Do not give the devil the foothold.

Instead, stomp on the head of the serpent and be propelled towards Christ. That is the call of the scriptures.

That is the call. I have died and I've been raised with him and my mind ought to be seated where Christ is seated, on things that are above.

Again, Christian, do you believe this or do you believe the only time you will have relief from your life is in the life to come?

No. You have relief now. What does Jesus say? Today you have been set free.

When the Son sets you free, you are free indeed. Today you can walk in the newness of life.

Today you can wage war against the devices of the enemy. Yes, after death you will experience the totality of your salvation, but today, today you can live within the reality of your salvation with the courage to live for God.

Not a spirit of slavery to be in fear, but a spirit of adoption into the family of God.

It was for freedom that you have been set free to not only rejoice in this life or the life to come, again, to rejoice in what

God has done today. Your life is hidden with Christ and God. What does Paul say in Philippians? Rejoice again,

I say rejoice. Then he says, come to God with thankfulness in your heart.

But first, rejoice again, I say rejoice. That is who you are in Christ Jesus.

Today. Today. So now that we understand the great gift that we have been given, living in the kingdom of his beloved

Son, that our role on the battlefield is to wage war with the heavenly mind, to find the truth in any circumstance by not trusting in what we see but in the

Word of God, how can I apply this to my life? How can we take what we've been learning today from Colossians chapter 3 and apply this to our life?

How can we seek the things that are above in the midst of spiritual warfare? Number one, my first suggestion for you would be to temper your expectations.

Temper your expectations. What is it that you expect from life? Do you expect to have an easy life, free from suffering, free from pain, free from hardship and death, free from contention?

Do you expect to retain your health for the duration of your life? Do you think that there ought to be nothing that should get in the way of you and your own personal desires?

Christian, if you want to wage war for the kingdom of God and to not be blinded by the devices of the enemy, temper your expectations.

If there is one thing I can tell you, it's this, 100 percent, I'll tell you this, 100 percent, more than anything else, what is going to happen to you is you will have tribulation and you will have suffering.

John 16, 33, Jesus promises suffering to his followers. I have said these things to you, that in me you may know peace.

In the world you will have tribulation, but take heart, I have overcome the world.

There's suffering, but then there's that key to the promise. I have overcome the world. You will have tribulation.

First Peter 221, for to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example so that you might follow in his steps.

Have biblical expectations in your life. It's not bad to have expectations, but temper them with biblical realities.

Suffering is something you ought to expect and be prepared for. You ought to expect it.

Romans 5, 3 through 5, states this. If you want to turn here, you can take a drink real quick.

I always like get myself loaded with drinks up here. I open them and I never drink them, so give me one second.

You can turn to Romans 5, we're gonna look at verses 3 through 5 real quick. Here it is,

Romans 5, 3 through 5. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the

Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Beautiful. How would you know the beauty in suffering if it wasn't for God's Word?

Does suffering sound like a bad thing here? There are ways we suffer for our own sin, that is true.

God disciplines those whom he loves. But listen, would not the devil, who lurks around every corner, who seeks to devour you, would he not take a hold of one who isn't seeking the things above?

This right here, guys, is coming from above. You will suffer, but what does suffer produce?

Beautiful things when you're a child of God. Beautiful things for the child of God. Just because your life gets hard or you're going through spiritual warfare in some aspect of your life, you ought not to think with a mind that is focused on the flesh.

Cut through the minutiae with the heavenly mind of God. What are our expectations?

Again, is it a life of comfort? The Heidelberg Catechism, question one, explains something.

It's a beautiful, beautiful catechism. It's not the one we use, but I love the way they explain this, okay?

This is what our comfort should be. Question one, Heidelberg Catechism.

What is your only comfort in life and death? Listen to this. That I am not my own, but I belong body and soul and life and death to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.

He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven.

In fact, all things must work together for my salvation because I belong to him, Christ, by his

Holy Spirit assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

That's absolutely beautiful. Christian, again, that's who you are today, if you have been raised with him.

If you are in the midst of suffering and you're going through a trial as we speak, in tribulation, and if you're struggling with finding the ability to trust in God and seek the things that are above during this time, do this.

I have something I think you should do. Please turn in here to your Bible with me. Go to James chapter 1.

James 1 verses 2 through 8. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.

For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

But let him ask in faith with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double -minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Now, Pastor Wade has a whole sermon series on the book of James. If you haven't been with us since he did that sermon series, if you've never listened to it, go back and listen to it.

I really recommend you do. It was excellent. But let's park here on the section of Scripture for a second and contemplate a few things.

James, in context, was the brother of Jesus, the pastor elder at the church in Jerusalem.

At this time, the Christian church in Jerusalem was undergoing an immense amount of persecution, and for many that meant death.

Death. The trials that he's referring to here are pretty bad. Eventual death. Even for James, he did not escape persecution.

It's believed that he was thrown off the top of the temple and then beaten to death with clubs by the hands of the Pharisees. So when you think in context, when you're saying you're gonna have trials of various kinds, he's talking about death.

He's talking about some pretty intense stuff that is going on in the church. But here's what he commands to his congregation.

Consider it all joy. You're being faced with death.

Consider it joy. Go to the worst thing that's happening in your life. Consider it joy.

It's hard. It's hard pill to swallow. But why? What happens?

What does he promise here? He says, the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. You will be complete, lacking in nothing.

The question is, is why? If I can consider it joy when going through trials, how will

I be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing? Because you have Christ. And that's how you have joy.

Listen. Here we have in God's holy inspired word that trials of various kinds, when we consider them joy, will be for our good.

Now what could the enemy ever do to us in this spiritual war that could ultimately harm us?

The answer is a shocking nothing. Consider it joy. Do you believe it?

Then we're told by James, if you lack wisdom, so if you're going through this trial right now and you don't have the wisdom to consider it joy, ask of God.

He promises you he will give it. He will give it generously without reproach. So what shall

I tell you today if you are going through a trial in this very moment and you cannot find joy in it? Ask of God in trust that he will give it.

Why is that? Let's think about joy first. Joy is a feeling in the soul. True joy is something that only

God can give. It's a fruit of the Spirit. A world in the flesh, those who are not in the

Spirit cannot have true joy. This is something God gives. It's an inner peace and contentment of the soul expressed to the body as a feeling.

It doesn't mean that your circumstances are great, but it's a peace God can give. It's not relied upon the body to feel.

This isn't like pleasure or passions or lust, things of that nature. Comes from the soul and it can be seen in the midst of suffering.

So why should we believe that he will give it? He promised to give it in his

Word. Does not the testimony of the Old Testament with the incarnation of the

Messiah prove through his covenant with Abraham that he will uphold all of his promises?

The God of glory promises to give you wisdom to endure your trial in worship to God.

This is the key to spiritual warfare. Faith in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, your identity in him, believing in his

Word. Did he uphold his covenant with Abraham? Think about that.

He sure did. You only have reasons, you have only reasons to believe what

God says in his Word. You only have reasons to believe. When you read God's testimony of Scripture and if you walk away with reasons not to believe in God's Word, I don't know what

Bible you'd be reading. You might be reading the Book of Mormon. You have only reasons to believe what God says in his

Word. Seek the things that are above in the midst of suffering and temper your expectations.

Seek the face of God. Expect God to fulfill his promises. Therefore it is not bad to have expectations, but these expectations should be rooted in Christ, in the truth, not in illusions of grandeur.

Fantasies will not bring you joy in the midst of suffering. Only the triune

God of mercy can. A soul that has joy in any trial is a soul that runs towards the enemy in spiritual warfare, not afraid of the bullets or arrows that come his way, knowing that the

God of glory is with him. He has been filled with him who is the head of all rule and authority. Your life is hidden with Christ in God.

You have died and have been raised in new life. Beautiful. Second, first, temper your expectations.

Expect to suffer. Expect to suffer, but do it in a biblical way. Second, ask yourself, what is it that you prefer?

What is it that you prefer? Do you prefer to take peace and earthly items and circumstances rather than in God?

Examine yourself and ask the question, when things get difficult in life, what is the first thing I go to in order to escape my situation?

What do you prefer is another way to say, what are you worshiping other than God in the midst of difficult circumstances? When your kids are acting up and getting loud, do you find yourself disengaging by checking your social media feed?

That might be something you prefer other than God. Might be seeking something that's on earth, not things that are above.

When you are at work and you messed up and have to have a hard conversation with your boss or your co -worker, where is it that your soul finds comfort?

What do you immediately go through? What is your inherent reaction? Ask yourself, what do you prefer over Christ?

What void are you trying to fill in your life that only Christ can fill? Every single one of us in this room makes mistakes.

Every single one of us has a void in our lives, believe it or not, today that we are seeking to fill with other than Christ.

Today, examine yourself. Think about it. Repent. Turn to Christ. Fill it with Christ. In him is hidden all wisdom and knowledge.

Repent. What is the warning in Scripture? The sorrows of those who go after other gods will be multiplied.

Prefer Christ to the world. Treasure him and seek the wisdom that only comes from God.

Remember, you become what you worship. When you prefer Christ over the comforts of the world, you will be more like him and will, in effect, treat others the same.

The outpouring of your love for God and your devotion to God will impact your neighbor.

It will ultimately impact your neighbor. The soul who prefers Christ over the world is the one who will stand strong against the lies of the enemy, knowing that only

Christ can provide for him what his soul truly needs. Ask yourself, what do you prefer?

Is that you? How can you prefer Christ? Third, first was temper your expectations.

Second, what do you prefer? Third, believe that you are cared for. And we're wrapping it up here.

You are a child of God. You have been raised in new life. The Holy Spirit dwells within you.

He will never leave you or forsake you. Do you believe this? You are never ever truly alone.

We are soldiers with Christ and we are soldiers with one another. Not only do you have your relationship with Christ, but every single warrior on the battlefield with you has

Christ with him. And he is also waging war and you are with them. Love God, love neighbor.

We have each other united to Christ and each individual warrior of God is filled in him who is the head of all rule and authority.

Absolutely beautiful. God cares for his sheep. If you find yourself thinking that you are alone and that God has left you, repent.

Repent and remember what he says in his word, Matthew 28 20, and behold I am with you always to the end of the age.

John 6 37, whoever comes to me I will never cast out. He will give you strength.

Isaiah 40 31, they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles.

They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not be faint. The promises of God overcome any earthly circumstance.

Then 1st John 2 25, this is the promise that he made to us.

Eternal life. Remember, there's nothing that the world can take away from you that is greater than what

God has given you. When the enemy of your soul is around you, when the flesh tries to take you prisoner, and the world closes in on you, remember those truths, warrior.

Trust in God and rejoice for it is well with your soul. There is nothing that can happen to you outside of what

God has given to you. Do you freely accept what God's given you or do you fight it? If it is health, then praise

God. If it is sickness, then the Lord be my shepherd. If it is riches, then may we use it to honor

God for it rightly belongs to him. If it is impoverishment, I have something that the world and all its money could never afford.

If it is marriage, may I love like Christ. If it is abandonment, my God will never leave me.

If it is the gift of children, may I raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord. If it is barrenness, may

I trust that God has given me what is best. If it is life, I lived it for the Son of God.

If it is death, may I be with God. Whatever it is, whatever the circumstance of life, there is nothing that the world can give us that is worth more than what we have, which now leads us to the last part of our application.

What do you have? You have Jesus, and Jesus is not an idea.

He is a person. He is real. Brothers and sisters, herein is the key to spiritual warfare.

We have God, purely through the grace of God. There is no one greater, no one more powerful, and he chose us merely out of his love for us.

Absolutely beautiful. Ephesians 1 tells us that the Father loved us so much that he sent his

Son to shed his blood for us. Jesus didn't deserve to die, yet he gave himself up for you out of the love for the

Father and his love for us. He is our mediator. He is our benefactor. He is your

God and your friend. Seriously, take a minute to fathom that. He's your friend, the best friend you could ever have.

Do you talk with him? Do you have alone time with him? There's no greater love than this, than the one who lays his life down for his friends.

He is with you. Treat him like a person.

He is for us. Nothing can stand against us. Believe what he says in his word.

The one life you live, live it for the Son of God. He gave his life for you on that cross.

He had you in mind. He thought you worth to be saved. If you are ever struggling and thinking that you're alone,

I challenge you to turn to John chapter 17. Read the high priestly prayer. You'll be reading it and you're gonna hear it and you're like, man,

Jesus is praying this fire prayer for the disciples. And then halfway through he says, I pray this not only for the disciples but for all who believe in me.

That's you. That's you. When Jesus was praying that prayer, he had you in mind.

He thought you worth it to be saved. Believe in him.

Come to him and set your mind on things that are above where the King of glory is seated. Do not believe the lies of the enemy.

He hates you. Do not listen to the word of those who wish to see you fail. Instead, come to Christ and believe the truth about who you are now and fight the good fight.

Run the race. Believe that right now. You are more than a conqueror in Jesus Christ.

But it's all rooted in him. It's all rooted in him. Again, let's listen to the verses we went through today.

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.

To the person in the room today who does not know Jesus, your life hangs in a precarious position.

You may think to yourself, I have the rest of my life to live. Maybe I'll come to Jesus before I die. Do not think so highly of yourself to be so lucky to number your days.

God has appointed the time of death for all men and you may die once you leave this building today. You may die this very second.

I don't know. And if you do, there's no time to repent then. You'll be just like Lot's wife who was instantly turned into a pillar of salt because her heart desired what lied behind her and not what laid ahead.

The end will have come. It will have been too late. I tell you now, hoping that this will bring you to your knees before Christ in repentance.

If you are not a child of God through faith, your suffering will not work out for your good.

But instead, every second you continue on taking advantage of the patience of God, you are storing up wrath for the day of judgment.

You are stoking the hot coals of his wrath and the bellows of his wrath will never be quenched.

Every second you delay your repentance, they will burn hotter and hotter. There is nothing you can do to avoid the wrath of God.

If your soul delights in the things of the world, I ask you now to contemplate and see if those things can save you from death.

Can they absolve you of the guilt you find when you lay your head on your pillow at night? You stand before God in judgment.

You have sinned before a holy God and deserve punishment. Be honest with yourself and look at the mirror of God's law and ask yourself, have

I sought other gods? Have I lied? Have I ever stolen? Truly, I tell you, according to God's Word, if you have broken even one of the law, you are guilty of it all.

And the wages of sin is death. Your only chance of rescue right now is in the belief of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is God in the flesh. He was born of a virgin and he was sinless. He was perfectly obedient to the works of the law and he paid the penalty of sin for all who believe in him.

He then rose from the grave three days later. He defeated death. He ascended into heaven. Believe on the

Lord Jesus today. Do not delay and be set free right now from the bondage of sin.

That is the call of the gospel. Transfer from death and into life through faith in the only

Son of God. Your works can't save you. Your false gods can't save you. None of those things will stop the day of death.

It is coming soon for you. Repent and believe in God today.

Believe in Christ, to the one in Christ today. Let this be an aroma to you, a sweet aroma, a balm for your ailments.

Remember the promises of God. Remember that your life is hidden with Christ in God, that he will never leave you or forsake you.

In this life, you have the truth revealed to you in Scripture. It cuts through all the minutiae of life.

Believe it. Treasure it. Come to Christ daily. Partake in the private means of grace, your

Bible reading, your praying, your meditating on the Word, your communion with Christ. Do not neglect the public means of grace, the

Lord's Day, the sacraments will soon take place, and the fellowship of the body.

Rest assured that all things will work together for your good and for the glory of God. I'm here to remind you that you are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus.

There is nothing that will snatch you from the hand of God. Live in courage and have joy in all circumstances.

Let's pray. Dear Lord of glory, maker of heaven and of earth, thank you for your very precious promises,

God, that you have given us. Help us, Lord, all to have a heavenly mind, to seek the things that are above where you are seated,

God. We are more than conquerors in you, Jesus. We praise you, we thank you, we are undeserving,

God, but you have raised us to new life. Thank you for your Word. Thank you for your

Spirit who dwells within us, God. I pray, Lord, that we hold fast to these very precious promises.

The key, Lord, that when we find ourselves in the prison, like Christian and hopeful, of doubting castle, that the truth will just be illuminated to us.

We'll grab hold of them and flee, run and never look back, that you will grant us that strength,

God, that you promised in Isaiah. We love you, Lord, and we praise you, and we thank you for all that you have given us today.

All right, guys, praise God, thank him for his Word. Now it's time for us to go to the

Lord's table. We ask that first you must be baptized believers.