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Polo Sermon: 06/26/22

Intro: Hello! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Clayton Miller and I am from Lawson
Baptist Church. I am also currently pursuing a Masters in Divinity at Midwestern Baptist Theological
Seminary in Kansas City. Today I’ve been asked to bring the message this morning and I thank you for
the opportunity to come and preach for you all.
Scripture Reading: James 1:19-25
Introduction Proper:
What is the daily focus of your life? For many of us, it is the phones that we carry with us on a daily
basis. Around 5.13 BILLION people own a smartphone (that's around 66% of the world’s population).
According to a recent survey, the average person checks their phones an average of 63 times a day.
Around 50% of people use their phones around 5-6 hours a day. With these numbers in mind, what
would you think the average churchgoer reads their Bible outside of the church. According to the
American Bible Society survey from 2020, “When asked how often the participant personally reads the
Bible on their own — that is, when not attending church services — only 9% said that they read it every
day, the lowest figure in the 10 years that the American Bible Society has been conducting the survey.”
This is a very frightening number for us Christians. While we claim that the Bible is the Word of God
and is sufficient for our lives, we seek our phones more than we do the literal Word of God! This needs
to change!!!
I believe the Main Point of this passage is that: The daily focus of the Christian life is centered solely
on Christ
Our focus as Christians should be that of our savior and His gospel and not of earthly things. To
focus our lives around something other than that would be foolish.
● I believe that this text shows us three areas of our relationship with Christ in regards to our
salvation that we can focus on
1. We are Raised with Christ- Repentance/Justification (v.1)
(v.1:If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at
the right hand of God.)
-Verse one shows us that we as Christians are raised with Christ. But what does that mean for us to be
raised with Christ? I believe that Paul is pointing back to the beginning of our relationship with Christ to
when we first believed and confessed that Jesus was our savior, particularly to our baptism. Previously
in Colossians 2:12, Paul speaks about this event saying that we have, “been buried with him in baptism,
in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God.” Our rising from
the waters in baptism represents the new self we receive through faith in Jesus.
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2 ways this point shows itself in the life of the Christian
a. The first way this can be seen in the Christian’s life is our repentance.
True repentance of our sins is the best sign for if we have truly risen with Christ from our old
selves in sin. While our old selves would seek to hide, lie, and deny our sins from others,
ourselves, and God; the new selves that Christ has given us strive to go to God to ask for
repentance of their sin. 1 John 1:9 tells us that, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Whether or not we seek
repentance for our sins before God gives us a window to our spiritual life. True repentance is
something that is not done in lip service to God but is an actual step towards understanding the
effects of your sin and working to fight against it. Christian author A.W Pink says, "It is not the
absence of sin but the grieving over it which distinguishes the child of God from empty
professors.”
b. The second way this can be seen in the Christian’s life is our justification in the eyes of the
Father.
Through our repentance, we have been declared justified by the blood of Jesus. The sinless life
of Jesus was not only for Himself but for all who are to believe in Him. The righteous life that
He lived was for His people to become righteous through the shedding of His blood on the cross.
Romans 3:22 says that, “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all
who believe.” Later in Romans 5:1, Paul shows us that, “Therefore, since we have been justified
by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Since you believe and confess
that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, the righteousness of Christ has been attributed to your
account and you no longer have to suffer from the eternal consequences of your sins. Our
freedom from the eternal consequences of sin
Illustration: A great example from Scripture of someone who completely changed by their coming to
Christ is Paul. In Acts 7 we are introduced to Saul, who was a renowned Jewish leader who persecuted
many of those in the church and was a major part of the martyrdom of Steven in Acts 7. It is later seen in
Acts 8:3 that, “Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and
women and committed them to prison.” Saul was a major enemy of the early church, but nevertheless,
God had a plan to use him as an apostle and as one of the most effective missionaries and theologians in
the church. We see his conversion in Acts 9 where he is walking on the road to Damascus and is struck
blind by Christ appearing to him and later is cured of his blindness when he receives salvation and is
baptized by Ananias in Damascus. His remarkable change after his salvation can be seen shortly after in
Acts 9:19-22 where it says, “For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he
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proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were
amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this
name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But
Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that
Jesus was the Christ.” Saul went from a man who lived in sin and brought death to Christians to one who
proclaims his salvation before those who would seek to kill him for doing so. The Christian’s raising
with Christ in our repentance by faith changes everything about us.
Application: Through God’s work in our hearts we are able to seek godly things, the foremost being
Christ Himself. Christ’s gift of a new life for the Christian gives us immeasurable riches not only in this
life but in the life to come. What a comfort it is knowing that thanks to Christ we have an advocate for
us with the Father who intercedes with Him daily for us as His people! Without the gift of salvation that
has been given to us by God, we would be completely unable to seek good things or act in line with the
commandments of God. With the gift of new life that Christ has given us, we can now accomplish what
God has put us in this world to do. We can always seek repentance and forgiveness from God through
Christ’s ever-present and everlasting ministry where He intercedes for us daily before the Father. We can
see this in verse 1 where it says that Christ is seated at the right hand of God as well as in other places in
Scripture such as Hebrews 7:25 where it says, “He is able also to save forever those who draw near to
God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” There is nothing that we can do
that God won't forgive you for if you repent of your sins and believe in Christ and there is nowhere that
we can run or hide from Him where Christ can’t intercede for you. Here are some questions that we
should ask to evaluate ourselves: Do I make a consistent effort to repent for my sins? What efforts can I
make to dwell on Christ who has died on the cross for my sins to make me justified in the eyes of the
Father?
(1) We Are Raised With Christ
2. We are Dead in Christ- Mortification/Sanctification (v.2-3)
(v.2-3: 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.)
-These verses show us that we as Christians are dead to our old sinful selves and live a life that is kept
by Christ. These verses also follow from verse one showing how we share death with Christ to the things
of this world and to our sinful selves.
Here are 2 ways this verse shows itself in the life of the Christian
a. The first way this can be seen in the Christian’s life is through Sanctification
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Sanctification can simply be defined as a continuous effort to grow in the holiness of your walk
with the Lord. Since we have died in a death like Christ, we are called not to inaction but to
action towards godliness. Our lives should reflect the change we have experienced from our
salvation. A great example of how we should view our lives in relation to our salvation is in
Galatians 2:20. Here Paul writes to the Galatian church saying that, “I have been crucified with
Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I
live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Here Paul is showing us
that our old selves die whenever we accept Christ into our hearts because He takes the place of
our sinful selves and lives in us.
Address “A person should not be so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good”
b. The second way this can be seen in the Christian’s life is through Mortification
Although we are new creations from our salvation, we still live in the flesh. Every Christian must
overcome the temptations of the flesh in our daily walk with the Lord. If we are to follow in
Christ’s footsteps we are to “set our minds on the things that are above and not on the things that
are on earth.” What does it mean by “things that are on the earth?” Pauls after this passage goes
on to explain in verses 5-8, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality,
impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath
of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you
must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.” We
must make the effort to fight and defeat the desires of our flesh. The fancy term for fighting
temptation and killing sin is called mortification. John Owen, a wonderful theologian and Puritan
author from the 17th Century, wrote a wonderful book on this topic called “The Mortification of
Sin” where he says, “The mortification of indwelling sin remaining in our mortal bodies, that it
may not have life and power to bring forth the works or deeds of the flesh, is the constant duty of
believers.”
Illustration: One example of fighting off the temptation’s of sin is the temptation of Jesus by Satan in
the wilderness. In Luke 4 we see that after Jesus was baptized by John the Spirit led Him to the
wilderneess where He would be tempted by Satan for 40 days. These 40 days were spent without food
and were filled with near constant temptation by Satan. Throughout these 40 days Satan tempted Christ
with food, glory, and power but everytime Christ denied his temptations by quoting Scripture. This
passage in Scripture shows us that we are able to fight against the temptations of the flesh by looking to
Christ and His Word to fight against our sin.
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Application: Through Christ’s death on the cross we are able to put sin to death and pursue godliness. It
is only after we look to Christ that we start to experience change for the better. Any source of
“self-improvement,” whether it be from self-help books to secular counseling will ultimately fall short of
stopping any earthy desire in you. It is only Christ who can truly help you heal and improve you, looking
to any other source to help you will fail. Earlier in Colossians 1:15-20, we see that “He is the image of
the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on
earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were
created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he
is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he
might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to
reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
Why look to someone or something inferior to Christ Himself? Knowing that He is all-powerful and
wholly good to help you in your sanctification is a great comfort for all of us who are struggling with the
flesh on a daily basis. Here are some questions that we should ask to evaluate ourselves: How are you
pursuing holiness in your life right now? What can I do to make steps to grow in my holiness? Do you
fight the temptations of sin in your life or do you fall to them?
(1) We are Raised in Christ
(2) We are Dead in Christ
3. We have Life in Christ- Resurrection/Glorification (v. 4)
(v.4:When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.)
Here in verse 4, we see that Christians have our life from Christ Himself. This means that our lives our
ultimately based on Christ both for our physical existence (Upholding the Universe) and our spiritual life
(High Priest, Savior). This verse also points to our future as Christians in the resurrection of our bodies
and to the glorification of them.
2 ways this point will show itself in the Last Days for believers
a. The first way this will be seen is in our resurrection.
As Christians, we have been promised eternal life with Christ (John 3:16, “For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal
life.”) God has freely given us this gift through faith in Jesus as our Savior. The Christian’s hope
in resurrection is vital for their faith in Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 15:12-19, Paul speaks on how
belief in the resurrection is essential to our faith. He says, “Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised
from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is
no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been
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raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be
misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise
if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been
raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in
this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” Pauls shows us that belief in Christ’s
resurrection and return is important for the Christian, if not then we would have no hope for our
future resurrection.
b. The second way this will be seen is in our glorification.
Glorification is the final step our bodies will go through in our process of sanctification. It is
when God removes any trace or stain of sin and we finally become free of it. We see a
representation of our longing for this in 1 Corinthians 13:12 where Pauls says, “Until He returns,
we are burdened with sin, and our spiritual vision is distorted because of the curse. “For now we
see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I
have been fully known.” Whenever Christ comes and glorifies our bodies, we will be able to
commune with Christ and see Him face to face in all of His glory. Paul speaks again in Romans
8:18-25 about glorification where he says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time
are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with
eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not
willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free
from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For
we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan
inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope
we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we
hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
Illustration: A great image of what our resurrected life will look like is in the book of Revelation
chapter 21. Revelation 21:1-4 shows us, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven
and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud
voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them,
and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every
tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain
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anymore, for the former things have passed away.” This passage shows us that the life that awaits us
with Christ is awesome, amazing, and beyond our comprehension on this side of eternity. We will live in
the midst of all believers all gathered to worship and bring glory to God. There will be no sadness or
grief in the presence of Christ. Our future with Christ is so good it is beyond our comprehension, such an
image should surely drive us to seek Him in this life at all times.
Application: Through Christ’s resurrection we will be resurrected like Him. When we are resurrected on
the last day we will no longer have the sinful desires of the flesh within us! There will be no possible
way for us to sin against our Savior or those around us. We will be free from the lingering shackles of
sin that we have lived within our earthly life. We will no longer have any thought or trace of sin in us
when Christ will judge the earth. The life in our resurrected body will be perfect: no sin, no death, no
disease, no aging. All the effects that sin has brought into this world will be reversed when Christ comes
back and raises His people with Him. It is important that we look to the future of our walk with Christ to
give us hope in our current circumstances; whether it is a bad situation at work, a sick family member, or
a bout of personal turmoil in your life, we can always look to Christ and the future life we can
experience with Him if we keep our eyes on Him in this life. Here are some questions that we should ask
to evaluate ourselves: Is my life found in Christ? Do I truly believe in Christ’s power to resurrect you on
the Last Day? What are some ways that I can trust in the Lord to preserve me to the Last Day?
Conclusion-
Our daily focus should be centered solely on Christ. If we aren't fixed on Christ in our daily lives we
need to fix that! Read God’s Word and grow in a right relationship with the one who came and died for
your sins! As I mentioned earlier in my introduction, many of those who regularly come to church on
Sundays are not seeking the Scripture’s themselves!
Seek the things that are above and set your mind on them!! Well, what are they?
Later in this chapter, Paul shows us what we are to pursue in verses 12-15 saying, “Put on then, as God’s
chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord
has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything
together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were
called in one body. And be thankful.” In Galatians 5:22-24 we see Paul speak of developing the fruit of
the Spirit, where he describes it by saying, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those
who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Finally, Philippians
4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,
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whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of
praise, think about these things.” We should strive to seek Christ in our continuous walk with Him in our
lives. I pray that we strive to seek His love and grace in our lives and to share His love with those around
us. If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior I pray that you seek Him for the forgiveness
of your sins!
[PRAY]