In
Christ Jesus is held the Godhead, for He is the Visible Manifeastion
of the Invisible God.
Colossians
3:2
"Set
your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."
There’s
nothing wrong with things and God doesn’t tell us that we have to live
without things. And God doesn’t tell us that we have to just barely get
by or just simply exist because
we’re Christians. But what’s the word? Priority. That’s
the word we are always using as children and telling our own
children. To get our priorities straight. There’s nothing wrong with
things if they’re in their right leveland order of priority. But what should be
number one? Christ as our Head and then Heaven, from which our relationship, our citizenship is, and
where we’re soon going to be going. In death passing from this
physical world to the spiritual heavenly world, our Hope yet unseen
but yet known by faith's receptivity. For
even the pagans, infidels and cults of the general garden verity of
unbelievers believe in a form of heaven or its equivalent. We're to set our affections on Christ the Head and not on the things which are perishing all around us whether with usage or just sitting idol. Because everything is in a continuous state of deterioration and corruption.
Colossians
3:3
"For
ye are dead, (to the old Adam-Satan nature, to the old flesh,
the natural status of all fallen men. They’re dead, separated from
God not having and being a possessor of) and your life is hid
with Christ in God."
It’s
hard for us to mentally comprehend death and life in the same
sentence. But, do you ever realize that throughout all of nature you
can’t get life until there’s death, you know that. Every seed you
put in the ground, before it can have New life, must die. The Lord
Himself used the same analogy so beautifully back in John chapter
12:24.
John
12:20
"And
there were certain Greeks (non Hebrews, Gentiles) among
them that came up to worship at the feast:…"
It
doesn’t say that these Gentiles were worshipers, but they were
there watching all the activity that was going on. Every time people
go to Jerusalem, and the Temple mount, naturally they go to the
Wailing Wall. They, as tourists, stand back and watch those Jewish
people holding their bahmitzvah and so forth as they worship. Some of these people will place into a creaves in the wall a piece of folded paper on which they have written a prayer request in hopes that some how it will be answered in this way. Others are
just on lookers as these Gentiles were. They were allowed to all the
activity of these thousands and thousands of Hebrews gathering for
the feast days, so they were just among them. So these Greeks came to
Philip.
John
12:21
"The
same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and
desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus."
Remember
Jesus had already told them back in Matthew 10:5 "that
they could not go to the non-Jews, but only to the lost sheep of
Israel." They had never ministered to the non-Jew, nor
do they this time. But these Gentiles came up to Philip and said,
"We’ve been hearing about this Jesus of Nazareth. Take us to
Him." How do you suppose old Philip thought he could handle
this? He didn’t want Jesus to embarrass them or anybody else by
just telling those Greeks that He didn’t want to have anything to
do with them. And he didn’t want to take full responsibility for
them, so what does he do? He comes and tells Andrew. Now can’t you
just put that conversation in your mind? I’m sure he tells Andrew,
"There’s some Gentile dogs out here, and they want to talk to
Jesus, and we know that He’s not going to talk to them, but what
are we going to do with them?" So Andrew says, "Well we shouldn’t
take the responsibility to ourselves. Let’s go in and ask the Master."
So they find the Lord Jesus, and we have to picture Him probably in
one of the buildings in the temple complex, but whatever.
John
12:22
"Philip
cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus."
Hey there are Gentiles out here that want to see you’ to this what
does Jesus say, "Bring them in?" No, but He gives the
reason.
"And
Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come (this is a
matter of hours before His crucifixion, but it is also a changing of
the guard the old standard is going to give way to the new) that
the Son of Man should be glorified (that will happen at His
ascension, No! but when He returns in the personage of the Holy
Spirit). Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn
of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone; but if it
die, it bringeth forth much fruit."
Why
the Holy Spirit because throughout the old system and Israel's
economy He made Himself visibly known as an angel or Spirit in some
shape or form. Of course the seed kernel dies, and up comes the
blade, and hopefully produces at least a hundred kernels within the head. Here in
John, He’s referring not only to His own death, burial, and
resurrection but also that of our own in Him, in order to be fruitful
we to must be separated from our past way of life to become part of the
new. And the Gentiles would have no object of faith until He would
accomplish that in death, burial, resurrection and ascension with a new
Spiritual returning. We must keep in mind that all of the old things
were but a shadow of the New. So that’s why He didn’t invite them
in. They could not come and partake of Him until He had finished
Covenant meal and the work of the cross and ascension. This is
exactly what Paul is talking about in Colossians 3:3.
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