August 3, 2025

Seek the Things Above

Pastor Rok Lee

Colossians 3:1-6

In April 2015, a powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 struck Nepal. More than 9,000 people died, and over a million lost their homes. Pastor Kris Moktan was leading worship at his church when the earthquake hit. Forty-three people were there, including his pregnant wife. Their church was an old, fragile building made of wooden boards, and the whole structure collapsed. His wife was injured, and her leg was broken by falling debris.

Kristin Breuss, a London banker who, after 20 years at Goldman Sachs, walked away from a high-powered career to become a pastor. In 2020 Breuss had an interview with the Business Insider, she said she realized her corporate title had become tied to her identity, and she didn’t want to need a title and status to feel good. She learned “we’re valued in our being, not in our doing. My identity isn’t tied to what I do,” and that serving “for a higher purpose” was freeing.

Breuss’s experience exemplifies the message of Paul’s letter to the Colossians: because we share Christ’s resurrection life, we must reorient our hearts toward heavenly priorities, not worldly ones. Colossians 3:1–2 summarizes this: “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” (Col 3:1–2). These verses form our foundation: if we truly share in Christ’s new life, then our purpose shifts. The rest of Paul’s instructions explain what this looks like.

First, raised with Christ means now we have new lives and identities. Paul begins today’s passage, “If then you have been raised with Christ…” (3:1). The Greek word here literally means “having been raised together.” It emphasizes that by union with Jesus, believers participate in His resurrection. Theologically, this means our old self has died and our life is now hidden in God (Col 3:3). Our true identity is no longer tied to earthly status but to Christ. This new life in Christ frees us from having our identity bound to worldly roles.

Paul elaborates: “for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory” (Col 3:3–4). Dying with Christ means the old passions have been crucified (Rom 6:6). Our “life” is now Christ Himself living in us. This hidden life assures our future hope: when Christ returns, we will shine with Him.

We no longer find our worth or purpose in earthly achievements. Instead, Christ is our life, our hope, and our treasure (Col 1:27). As Breuss reflected on a similar theme, she realized that true fulfillment came only when she stopped defining herself by her job and began serving God’s kingdom. Likewise, having been raised with Christ should lead us to seek things above – to pursue God’s purposes rather than human praise.

Second, we need to set our minds on things above. Closely connected is verse 2: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”. Set your mind doesn’t mean onetime we think, but it means “keep thinking/reflecting.” The imagery is of continually directing our thoughts above. Paul isn’t saying thoughts alone save us, but that our attitude and attention must be reoriented. It’s easy to be consumed by daily cares, but Colossians calls us to meditate on heavenly truths.

When our minds dwell on Christ and His kingdom, earthly anxieties lose power. Paul elsewhere contrasts the “mind set on the flesh” with the “mind set on the Spirit” (Rom 8:6–7). Here, setting our mind on above is practically the same thing. We could translate this verse 2 as “keep your minds fixed on things above.” This is not a onetime action but an ongoing discipline of faith.

In the wake of natural disasters, a news report highlighted exactly this kind of heavenly focus. In 2017 hurricane Irma hit St. Thomas island. Asher, a rabbi, watched destruction all around, yet he spent days providing food and spiritual support to survivors. A news reporter said, “Over and over, he saw the same thing: faith not just as comfort, but as fuel. A force that allows people to keep going, even when everything else has washed away.”. In other words, people whose hope is in God (above) find strength to endure earthly disaster. In disaster zones, political blame offers little comfort; instead, faith communities often lead the relief efforts, grounding people in the promise of God’s care.

This story shows how setting our minds on above – trusting God’s power and love – changes our perspective in crisis. We turn from panic and despair (“the things that are on earth”) to prayer, service, and faith. Practically, it means when we wake up, we think of Christ’s kingdom and our life hidden in God, not our to-do list or latest news. It means reading Scripture, praying, remembering God’s promises daily. By doing so, we begin to put to death earthly priorities before we even act on them.

Lastly, it is time to put to death earthly things. Paul concludes (v5–6): “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry)”. The Bible is literally saying “make dead the parts of you that are on the earth.” This is no mere “checklist” of sins, but a decisive command. Paul lists five examples of earthly vice: fornication/sexual immorality, impurity, lust or unhealthy passion, evil desire, and greed – “the very thing which is idolatry.”

In context, these are the habits of the “old self” that Christians died to (Col 3:3). To put to death them means cutting them off decisively. The Greek word ‘nekrosate’ implies a one-time killing of the old nature. We “kill” sin by refusing to indulge it, by fleeing temptation (1 Cor 6:18), and by actively replacing it with Christlike virtues (Col 3:12–14). Paul warns that because of these sins “the wrath of God is coming” (3:6), signifying that persistent sin will not go unjudged. But in Christ we are empowered to overcome these sins (v7–11).

Think about the followers of Jesus. They were truly sinners who used to chase after things of this world. Some of them were tax collectors and prostitutes. Let’s take Zacchaeus as an example. He had gathered a lot of wealth unfairly just to get more for himself. He was someone who lived to satisfy his own greed. But everything changed when he met Jesus while sitting on a tree. After that moment, Zacchaeus promised to give half of his wealth to the poor and to repay four times the amount if he had taken anything wrongly from someone. He became a completely different person after meeting Jesus. He put his old sins to death and began to seek the things above.

When we sing Amazing Grace, we say, “a wretch like me.” This line can make people uncomfortable. But this is the honest truth about us. And we must leave behind our sinful past and be clothed with the glorious image of Christ through the cross.

Colossians 3:1–6 lays out a stark choice. Having been raised with Christ, we are to seek above and set our minds on heaven’s things, not on fleeting earthly pleasures or status. We then actively kill the old habits that contradict our new life.

Now is the time to heed this call. This church—and each of us—must turn away from the world’s values of greed, lust, and pride. Instead, let us redirect our gaze to Jesus, our true life. Dear church, “you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:3). Let us live out that truth, daily drawing hope from the glory to come. As Paul urges, “Set your minds on things above, not on things that are on earth”. In practice, this means choosing Jesus Christ — who reigns in heaven — over every idol of this world. May we be empowered by God’s Spirit to do so, restoring our hope in heavenly things and reflecting Christ’s life to a needy world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~