Ralph Martin - A Very Mysterious Verse

[Music] last week I talked to you about dark nights now I'd like to talk to you about a very mysterious passage in Scripture that's just so full of light that it's going to take us an action of God to kind of really begin to understand it this is from Colossians chapter 3 verses 1 to 17 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 mind 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 our life appears then you also will appear with him in glory I've been puzzling over the scripture passage for a long time and a particular part of it that I've been puzzling over is your life is hidden with Christ in God so what scripture says in some way right now we're with Jesus at the right hand of the Father right now we're in heaven in a mysterious way you know when Paul was converted on the road to Damascus Jesus said to him you know and Paul s who are you he says I'm Jesus whom you're persecuting now Paul was persecuting people he was persecuting Christians and the amazing thing is that Christ identifies himself with Christians in Galatians chapter 2 it says we've been crucified with Christ and the life I live now is not a life in the flesh but a life of faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me so the reality of the and rising with Christ happens we know the sacrament of baptism Romans chapter 6 says we've been died with Christ we've been raised with Christ so now we're dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus so the mysterious thing that happens to us when we become a Christian even a baby Christian is something radically is changed in us and now we're dead to sin and alive to God and our life is now hidden with Christ in God and then those amazing passages in John's Gospel John chapter 17 where Jesus says you know if you abide in me and my word abides in you I'll abide in you and my father and I will come and dwell on you so right now we're in this amazing union with the Lord and we're already with them in heaven you know in a certain mysterious mystical kind of way so this now has implications for how we're going to live and that's where Paul that's where Paul says set your mind on things that are above not on things that are on earth so the center of gravity of our life is now switched to heaven it really has our time on earth is very very short and the center of gravity of our life is that I've been tilted towards heaven our life is now hidden with Christ in God so Paul says set your mind on the things that are above not the things that are on earth because earth is passing earth is just a temporary place where we are are are true our true home is heaven but we're already there in a certain kind of way so this means concern yourself with the truths of God concern yourself with the reality of Jesus concern yourself with the rich revelation that God has given to us at Holy Scripture this is just the New Testament and it's it's amazing the treasures that are here and then it goes on to say put to death therefore what is earthly in you not the things that are natural to us as creatures living in this beautiful place but the things that are twisted the things that are corrupted put to death therefore what is earthly in you immorality impurity passion evil desire and covetousness which is idolatry on account of these the wrath of God is coming when you see how special what God has done for us you see how horrible is to corrupt it and to face it and disdain it and not live in accordance with it in these you once walked when you lived in them but now put them all away so what this is talking about is a significant thing that happened to us in Baptism a significant thing that happened to us when we maybe experienced an adult awakening of our faith or adult conversion and what also we're seeing here is allowing that there's a growth process this doesn't happen instantly we don't start having our minds on heaven all at once all the time it's a growth process now put them all away so we got to work on this we've got to kind of work at turning away from the corruption that's kind of stained our life by original sin and personal sin in the sin of the world put away put them all away anger wrath malice meanness slander and foul talk from your mouth do not lie to one another seeing that you've put off the old man with his practices and put on the new man who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his creator what an incredible dignity God has given to us first of all we're created in the image of God there's something fundamental to who we are and how we are that's godlike but we also know it's been terribly will he do this been terribly damaged it's been broken in so many different ways and now God has sent Jesus so that the repair process can take place he's already gathered us to himself we've already been transferred they came to the darkness scripture says the whole world is under the power of the evil one we've been transferred from that world from that darkness from that evil ruler into the kingdom of his beloved son our Lord Jesus Christ but now there's a growth process that has to go on we have to learn how to say no to the old man that that will good nature of ours to the distorted parts of it we need to say no to it and say yes to our new nature which is being renewed in the image of God here there cannot be Greek and Jew circumcised and uncircumcised barbarian Scythian slave free men but Christ is all and in all we can't have these worldly distinctions there's a oneness of most Christians between rich and poor between black and white between male and female there's there's a oneness that we have to learn how to live and Express in our lives put on then as God's chosen ones holy and beloved we are the holy and beloved of God we are God's chosen ones yes even in our broken state even though we're Christians under construction it is so good to be under construction rather than under destruction we are God's holy ones we are God's beloved right now even while we fight the spiritual battle even we learn how to say no to the darkness and yesterday light put on that as God's chosen ones holy and beloved compassion kindness lowliness meekness and patience forbearing one another and if one has a complaint against another forgiving each other as the Lord is forgiven you so you also must forgive now this is this is pretty clear now every time we say the Lord's Prayer we say Lord forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us you know I so we're saying Lord forgive us and the measure in which we forgive other people oh I mean that's that's pretty scary that's pretty real and I know from praying with people and talking with people over many years that one of the biggest problems we have as human beings is learning how to let go of resentment of unforgiveness learning how to really from the heart forgive now it doesn't mean necessarily if somebody's done a terrible thing to us that we have to kind of continue to work with them or live with them or whatever but it does mean that we can't we can't hold grudges we can't hold resentments even if they haven't repented we need to you know heart be ready to forgive them if they do repent and really extend that forgiveness right now in our heart although it can't really bring about reconciliation until the person repents so if you have unforgiveness in your life a lot of people do ask the Lord to give you the grace to begin to want to forgive I know terrible things that happen i I know horrible things have happened to people I know there's this things that have been done to you that you may be saying I can never forgive that person but we have to we have to if god's forgiveness is going to be activated in our life and even if we've never done horrible things like that we've done things that we need God's mercy that's just the selfishness you notice that needs God's mercy those things we've done that needs his forgiveness so ask God to give you the grace to begin to desire to forgive and then as that grace comes in it will it will because it's God's will that you forgive but the grace will come for it let go of those resentments let go of those hurts and let guys love fill your soul and let the Peace of Christ rule in your hearts to which indeed you were called in the one body over all these put on love which binds to everything together in perfect harmony and let the Peace of Christ rule in your hearts there can't be a peace in our soul unless we're saying no to darkness and yes to light they can't be a peace in our soul until we're willing to forgive and be thankful that's a short verse for sometimes it's just really worthwhile to step back and rather than looking at the problem it's rather than looking at what's not right what's what's what isn't working right say lord thank you you know what we should be most thankful for thank you Lord for having created me and and calling me your beloved and hiding my life right now with you in heaven with the Father thank you for the promise of eternal light thank you for suffering and dying for us that we can be reconciled with you thank you thank you thank you and then finally let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom as you sing songs and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God we need to speak God's word to each other we need to have God's Word in our minds and in our hearts in order to live this life in order to think about the things that are above we need to read the scripture in order to think about things that are above scripture really helps us think about those things and not be so consumed by the things of earth and whatever you do in word or deed through everything in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through him let's end with a prayer father thank you having created us thank you for the holy sacrament of baptism thank you that in some mysterious way we participated in your death and your resurrection even right now and you put a power within us you put a principle within us that enables us to be dead to sin and alive to you thank you for the upward call thank you like st. Paul says forgetting what lies behind not not boasting on what we already have but we want to press on and to know you and the fullness of the original rection Lord we thank you Lord for these words from Colossians chapter 3 we thank you for calling us your holy ones we thank you for calling us your beloved were eternally grateful to you Lord we're eternally grateful to you amen [Music]

Channel: Renewal Ministries

Views: 11,044

Rating: 4.9417477 out of 5

Keywords: Christianity, Jesus, Christ, Evangelism, Mission, Spirituality, Evangelization, Religion, Catholic, Church, God, Trinity

Id: -MJr0cjEN2E

Length: 13min 40sec (820 seconds)

Published: Mon May 25 2020