THE HIDDEN LIFE
Col. 3:2-4
Morning Meditation 2/23/15
Verses 2-4 say, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”
The believer has both a life on earth and what our text says is hidden. Our life on earth should show some evidence of the hidden life. The life of Christ was a continuous expression of His life with Father. John 5:19-20 says, “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.”
It is exciting to know that we already have life in the Presence of the Lord and that life can affect our attitudes and actions now. I want us to look at three great truths that stand out in these verses. First,
THE DESIRE OF THE HIDDEN LIFE
Paul said, “Set your affection on things which are above . . .” The words “Set your affection” translate “phroneo” and means, “to be of the same mind, i.e., agreed together, cherish the same views, be harmonious.” It is a present active imperative verb. The present tense means that it is continuous action in the present. The imperative mood is a command that expresses urgency. This is the mood of volition. We have a choice about obeying this command. It also expresses urgency. It is urgent that the believer on earth thinks like the ONE ON THE THRONE. We do have a responsibility to direct our affections.
1.Satan’s great appeal to the people of the world is to direct their affections to wicked things and to lock them into his kingdom. He can do this by making a man a slave to his lusts. Pornography is promoted on TV, in movies, and is now on the Web. Satan is enslaving people through lust.
2.The believer’s new life is going in an entirely new direction (2 Cor. 5:17) and it is his responsibility to develop a new appetite for the things of the Lord. David said in Psalms 34:8, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
So Paul says, “Set your affection on things above . . .” The words “on things above” translate “ano” and speak, “of the quarters of the heaven, northward; of countries, inland, up from the coast.” Here we have the idea of a pilgrim longing for his homeland. There are many things that God has revealed about heaven.
1.There is worship there continually; Isa. 6:1-4.
2.There is singing there; Rev. 5:9.
3.There is comfort there; Luke 16:25.
4.There is a city which has foundations whose builder and maker is God; Heb. 11:10; Rev. 21:2.
5.All the qualities of the life in Christ are there; Gal. 5:22-23.
Then Paul gives the negative side in the words, “not on things on the earth.” There are some “nots” in the Christian life. Man by nature doesn’t want to hear these negatives. We are the bride of Christ. We have been joined with Him according to 1 Cor. 6:15: “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.” The verb “are” is a present indicative and mean “we keep on being” right now in the present. Then verse 17 says, “But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.” The words “he that is joined” translate “kollao” and mean, “to glue, to glue together, cement, fasten together.” It is a present passive participle. Again, we are NOW JOINED to the Lord, and are said to be “one spirit” with Him. The passive voice is where the subject is acted on. We did not join ourselves to Him. This took place when we were saved. It is something that has happened to us and is a truth in which to rejoice.
The things of this world are a problem for us.. This is the reason we have warnings like this one. John gives a warning in 1 John 2:15-17: “ Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
I heard a teenage girl make a comment after she heard a message on the Second Coming of Christ. She said she did not want Him to come because she had plans with which His Coming would interfere. Before we become too critical of her, maybe we should ask ourselves how interested we are in the things of this world? What are our interests? Are we completely comfortable talking about our favorite ball team or our golf game with anyone who will listen, but feel a strain and a slight embarrassment when they talk about the things of the Lord? If we are saved and will be spending eternity with God, should we not be interested in finding more information about the place we are going? When a young man falls in love and marries, he should throw his “little black book” away. Ladies, do you agree with me? Shouldn’t a man change his interests completely? I know your answer. Then shouldn’t the bride of Christ change her interests completely? Any interest the bride of Christ has in this world except to EVANGELIZE and win others to her heavenly Bridegroom while she waits in anticipation for His return is wrong. Oops, I said it didn’t I? We don’t like that word “wrong.” Next our text speaks of,
THE PROTECTION FOR THE HIDDEN LIFE
Verse 3 says, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
1.We are protected by death. The words “For ye are dead” translate “apothnesko” and means, “to die and is used of the natural death of man.” It is an aorist active indicative verb. It is speaking here of our death and resurrection with Christ (Rom. 6:6-11; Col. 3:1). Death has protected millions of Christians from further persecution. Death has protected a battered wife from any further abuse of an unworthy husband. The death that we share with Jesus is the spiritual death that the unsaved will experience at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:14-15). We are protected from hell. Death with Christ is a protection from condemnation (Rom. 8:1). It is even a protection from criticism is we reckon ourselves to be dead with Him (Rom. 6:11).
2.We are hidden. The words “is hid” translate “krupto” and mean, “to hide, to conceal.” It is a perfect passive indicative verb. The perfect tense means that those saved people to whom Paul spoke had been tucked away (passive voice) in a secret place in the past and that is where they remained at the time he was writing. Glory to God and the Lamb forever! What great comfort to know that we are hidden in His secret place.
3.We are not in solitary confinement. Paul says, “with Christ in God.” Jesus in there and we are in God.. You have to be saved to enjoy this place. Man has to be recreated in Christ to tolerate the holiness of this hiding place. Amen. It is all of grace and mercy.
Then finally we see,
THE MOTIVATION OF THE HIDDEN LIFE
Paul says, “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” The life we have been given is in a Person. It is Christ. John brings this out in 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” The words “shall appear” is an aorist passive subjunctive verb. This is speaking of the rapture when he comes for His children. The aorist tense is speaking of the event. The subjunctive mood means that His coming is always possible every minute that we live.. I believe in the imminent return of Jesus to this earth to rapture His people into His presence to remain with Him forever (1 Thess. 4:13-18).
I will close with a Puritans Prayer; “O Son of God and Son of Man, Thou wast incarnate, didst suffer, rise, ascend for my sake; Thy departure was not a token of separation but a pledge of return; Thy Word, promises, sacraments, show thy death until thou come again. That day is no horror to me, for thy death has redeemed me, thy Spirit fills me, thy Word governs me.. I have trusted thee and thou hast not betrayed my trust; waited for thee, and not waited in vain. Thou wilt come to raise my body from the dust, and re-unite it to my soul, by a wonderful work of infinite power and love, greater than that which bounds the oceans’ waters, ebbs and flows the tides, keep the stars in their courses, and gives life to all creatures. This corruptible shall put on incorruption, this mortal, immortality, this natural body, a glorious body, this weak body, a body of power. I triumph now in thy promises as I shall do in their performance, for the head cannot live if the members are dead; Beyond the grave is resurrection, judgment, acquittal, dominion. Every event and circumstance of my life will be dealt with . . . O God, keep me ever looking for Christ’s return.”
May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.
In Christ
Bro. White
