Col 3:1-3
Third Dimension Resolutions
Paul’s writing here is easily understood. \\#1\\ He was telling us
to seek for some things. The idea is to take inventory, see what
things we are short of, and then seek to find those missing, lost,
or neglected things.
This is the New Year and some people are doing just that through
their New Year’s resolutions. Some look at their lives to see what
has been missed or neglected. Then they will attempt to make changes
to repair or find those lost things.
Determining to make change is really a good idea although I know many
have given up on because of past failures. (BC comic 12/31/2014, The
Fat Broad resolved 4 years ago to lose 40 pounds, 3 years ago to lose
30, 2 years ago to lose 20, last year to lose 10. This year she just
resolves to love herself as she is.)
For those of us who are Christians, we are commanded to examine our
lives and to bring them into subjection to Christ.
1Cor 3:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in
the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not
your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in
you, except ye be reprobates?
Ps 119:59 I thought on my ways, and turned my
feet unto thy testimonies.
Ps 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart:
try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
La 3:40 Let us search and try our ways, and
turn again to the LORD.
However, as these verses indicate, there is a level of examination
and accountability that is much higher for us.
This morning, let’s talk of Third Dimension Resolutions.
I. There is a third dimension.
A. Paul in giving the command to seek those things, was not
speaking of mere earthly things.
1. His command is to seek those things "which are above."
2. In fact, the verse starts out with a condition to tell us
who Paul was directing this command at, "If ye then be
risen with Christ."
3. This command is directed toward the saved and is
commanding them to seek not the inward things or the
outward things but the upward things.
B. The third dimension is upward.
1. Paul was not commanding the believers to seek another
new year’s resolutions of the well-intended.
2. He was commanding them to seek after the spiritual the
"things above" not "on the earth."
C. Most humans are two dimensional.
1. They are a body and have a mind.
2. Most of those setting new goals for the New Year are
dwelling in one of those two dimensions.
a. The first dimension
(1) They will lose weight, be on time, drink less,
spend more time with their family.
(2) These are all worthy goals but they are goals of the
first dimension, the physical world.
b. The second dimension
(1) Or they will go back to school, read more, learn
a new language, get a hobby.
(2) These are also good things but they are all in
the second dimension, the mental world.
3. But who will commit to winning souls for Jesus, memorizing
their Bible, praying for missionaries, establishing a
ministry to help the orphaned, abandoned, elderly, or
desperate?
a. This is the third dimension.
b. It is the spiritual dimension.
II. Only the saved will seek third dimension resolutions.
A. Again, note that this command is directed to those who are
risen with Jesus.
B. Here is another discerner of the saved and the unsaved.
1. The unsaved will never think to examine themselves
spiritually, let alone set some a spiritual goal beyond
just going to church from time to time.
2. This is a dimension that they neither understand or even
consider as important.
3. How important is Jesus to you?
a. Not just the church but Jesus.
b. Do you need to talk to Him? Do you need to hear from
Him? Does thinking about Him ever bring emotion to
your heart? Do you want to please Him? Do you
pattern your life to please Him?
c. If the honest answer to all of those is, "No," then
ask yourself is there any conviction about it? Are
you happy without Jesus? Could you live your life
without going to church, reading the Bible, praying,
and things be just fine with you?
d. It is important that you see the implications of having
no spiritual dimension!
(1) If there are no spiritual goals and no spiritual
conviction, then you are not Jesus’!
(2) This means you are lost and hell bound.
e. Let’s take it a step further.
III. Only the saved who are focused can KEEP their third dimension
resolutions.
A. As I said, some have given up even on the first two
dimensions of New Year’s resolutions.
1. They give up because of constant failure.
2. The same applies to third dimension resolutions.
3. Some have ceased to seek the spiritual. Perhaps some
never really started.
4. Some have ceased to examine themselves spiritually.
5. What is the problem?
B. Many Christians are not focused on Christ.
1. If you and I want to be obedient to Christ and to be the
right kind of Christian, we must focus.
a. To focus means we narrow our sights, cutting some
things out that we can concentrate harder on others.
b. Even the most gifted humans have limits and must
remove some clutter from their line of sight to
better see the important things.
2. God helps us to accomplish all that He commands us to be.
3. There is a Bible verse designed to help us focus.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto
God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be
ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
4. This is an important and powerful Bible verse.
a. Every Christian should memorize it.
b. If you want a great first New Year’s resolution,
memorize it! It will change your life.
IV. I see three truths:
A. The mind is the battlefield.
1. The command is to RENEW YOUR MIND. \\#2\\
a. That is retrain your mind, make it over again, teach
it to do differently.
b. This is not commanding us to think better.
(1) That is two-dimensional.
(2) It is a command for us to think spiritual.
(3) It is a command to FOCUS ON
SPIRITUAL THINGS.
2. For example, spend less time thinking physical and more
time thinking spiritual.
a. Think less about the value of a dollar and more about
the value of a soul.
b. Think less about how you look to others and more about
how you look to Jesus.
c. Think less about how this will make you happy and more
about how it will make Christ happy.
3. Again, spend less time thinking you can’t.
a. Can’t tell others about Jesus.
b. Can’t tithe.
c. Can’t be faithful to church.
d. Can’t read and understand their Bible.
e. Can’t memorize.
f. Can’t have an intimate relationship with Jesus.
4. Two dimensional beings can’t, but three dimensional beings
can!
a. The key is being right with God.
b. If you are not right with Christ, get right.
c. If you are right with Christ, how about using a little
faith?
d. If the mind is the battlefield then faith must be the
weapon!
e. We need faith to change our wrong thinking.
5. Let God change what we believe!
a. Change what you believe about Him.
Genesis 18:14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD?
b. About the possibilities of what you can do.
Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said
unto them, With men this is impossible; but
with God all things are possible.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through
Christ which strengtheneth me.
c. Quit saying you can’t and start saying you CAN.
d. This is called FAITH.
(1) Faith is not just believing.
(2) It is believing in God’s work for your life!
B. \\#1\\ We should be seeking the highest calling.
1. We should not settle for wanting to be anything less for
God than HOLY and ACCEPTABLE.
a. Holiness is an attribute of God.
(1) Granted, we can’t be like God in this respect.
(2) We are sinners and will always come up short.
(3) However, God still commanded us to make the holy
things our goal.
(4) Our focus should be more on souls, eternity,
God and less on greed, pleasure, and self.
(5) We want to be right with God in our actions, in
our thoughts, in our behaviors.
(6) This should be our goal, our focus.
b. Acceptable means within God’s parameters.
(1) God knows that we are not holy, perfect, or
sinless.
(2) So although that should be our goal, God will
accept us if we keep our failings under the
blood and seek after Him.
(3) Just focus on that!
2. If you do, you will do that which the GOOD, ACCEPTABLE,
and PERFECT WILL OF GOD.
C. \\#1\\ We should be giving our greatest gifts.
1. Your souls is by far your greatest gift.
a. Give yourself.
b. Present yourself to God as a living sacrifice.
c. In the Old Testament, animal sacrifices were given to
God. Once killed and given, they could not be taken
back.
d. The problem with many Christians is that we keep
getting up off the altar! Get on it and stay there.
2. Give your time.
3. Give your talents.
4. And yes, somewhere in there, give your money and your
possessions.
Research released on 1/1/2014.
% of people who usually make New Year’s resolutions - 45%.
% of people who sometimes make New Year’s resolutions - 17%.
% of people who never make New Year’s resolutions - 38%.
% of people who are successful with their New Year’s resolutions - 8%.
However, that is 8% more than those who never tried.
http://www.statisticbrain.com/new-years-resolution-statistics/
Why don’t you decide to seek those things which are above this year?
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