This morning at Grace Bible Church of Phoenix, Pastor Mark opened up Colossians 3:1–4 with a simple but convicting challenge: live like you are alive. If you’re in Christ, you’re not who you used to be. The old man is dead — and that changes everything about how you live.
You’re Alive — Four Incredible Truths
Paul wastes no time. Right out of the gate in Colossians 3, he drops four theological realities that belong to every believer:
“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. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
— Colossians 3:1–4
1. You Have Been Raised with Christ
Pastor Mark pointed out something we can easily gloss over: you can only be raised if you’ve died first. Before your salvation, you were spiritually dead — cut off from God, enslaved to sin, with no ability to make yourself right (Ephesians 2:4–6). But the moment you placed your faith in Jesus, God made you alive together with Christ. You went from death to life in an instant.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.”
— Ephesians 2:4–5
This is the crux of the gospel — not just that you’ll go to heaven someday, but that you’re a new creation right now. The resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in you today.
2. The Old Man Is Dead
This is the part that stings a little. Romans 6:4–5 tells us we were buried with Christ by baptism — the old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with. You are no longer enslaved to sin. It’s not just that sin is temporarily paused; the old you has been killed off.
“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”
— Romans 6:6
And here’s the flip side:
“For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”
— Romans 6:7–8
Unfortunately, Pastor Mark noted, many of us live like the old man is still running the show. We carry shame from past failures. We feel like God still sees us as that wretched sinner. But if you’re in Christ, He doesn’t see the old you — He sees His Son, covered in righteousness.
3. You Are Hidden with Christ in God
This is one of the most encouraging images in all of Scripture. Colossians 3:3 says your life is hidden with Christ in God. Hidden means concealed, cared for, protected. Pastor Mark compared it to a mama bear covering her cub — that’s how we are in Christ. God isn’t just tolerating us; we’re wrapped in His love and shielded by His Son.
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:21
When God the Father looks at you, He sees you covered by Christ’s righteousness. Not your performance — His. That’s imputed righteousness: the righteousness of God Himself, placed on your account through faith alone.
4. You Will Appear with Him in Glory
Paul gives us a forward look. Not only are you alive right now and hidden in Christ — you have a future glory coming. Romans 8:17–18 reminds us that our present sufferings don’t even come close to comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us.
“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. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
— Romans 8:17–18
Philippians 3:20–21 tells us that our citizenship is in heaven, and one day Christ will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body. Hallelujah — we get a new body, a new world, and an eternity with our Creator.
Two Commands: Seek and Set Your Mind
Based on these four realities, Paul gives two commands that flow out of new life — they don’t produce new life, they confirm it:
Seek the Things That Are Above
Seeking is active — it’s not passive. It means you’re looking for something. If you’ve been raised with Christ, your life doesn’t just end at the cross. There’s stuff to do. There’s a kingdom to advance. There’s ministry to be part of — not just here at church, but in your home, your workplace, your neighborhood. Seek what God is doing eternally and join in.
Set Your Mind on the Things That Are Above
This is about the internal — your thinking, your heart, your attitudes. So many of us have planted our lives in things that are ultimately fragile and futile. Colossians 3 goes on to spell out what these “things above” look like in practice. But the point is this: if your mind is set on Christ and His kingdom, your choices, priorities, and conversations will follow.
Pastor Mark’s challenge was convicting: if you have no desire to seek the things of God, that might be a confirmation that you’re still in your sins. But if you’re here this morning, chances are you are seeking — and that’s a beautiful confirmation of the work God has done in your heart.
So What?
Here’s the deal: you have won the lottery. You have the golden ticket. You have been given a brand new life — resurrection life — and you get to live in it starting today. If you’re a believer, you’re not waiting for life to begin. Life began the moment you trusted Christ. Eternity started on that day.
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”
— Philippians 3:8
Pastor Mark closed with this: don’t waste it. Stop living like you’re still dead. Stop being afraid that if you mess up, God’s going to drop you. He’s not looking at your failures — He’s looking at His Son in you. Go for it. Seek. Set your mind. Get involved in what God is doing. Live like you are alive, because you are.
And if you’ve never trusted Christ — if you’ve been on the outside of this looking in — today can be the day. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” That’s the offer. Step into new life today.
Scripture References
- Colossians 3:1–4 — Raised with Christ; seek and set your mind on things above
- Ephesians 2:4–6 — Made alive together with Christ and raised us up with Him
- Romans 6:4–8 — Buried and raised with Christ; set free from sin
- Romans 6:6 — Our old self crucified with Him
- Romans 8:17–18 — Co-heirs with Christ; future glory exceeds present suffering
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 — In Him we become the righteousness of God
- Philippians 3:8 — Counting all things as loss for the surpassing worth of Christ
- Philippians 3:20–21 — Our citizenship is in heaven; Christ will transform our bodies
- Romans 10:9 — Confession and belief leads to salvation