# 17: 2-21-14 E

Colossians 3:1
Sitting at the Right Hand of God
The assemblies in the Lycus valley have been challenged as to what it is that they genuinely believe. Paul
questions whether those who are subjecting themselves to religious ritual, mystical practices and ascetic
regulations have ever united themselves to Christ, by faith.
But for those who have truly believed, Paul will now go on to show that they already possess all of the
power they need, against the indulgence of the flesh - in the new life they have received, from Christ.
In the first four verses of chapter 3, Paul shows how to access the power of this life - through the believer
setting his thinking on things above. The idea is being heavenly minded; maintaining the eternal
perspective - Gods perspective.
The remainder of the chapter concerns how having this mind then determines the believers conduct in his
body, on earth. Paul is proving out the truth of the proverb, that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Prov
23:7); and he will conduct himself according to whom he is. We could say that what you think is what you
are; so what you think on is very important, isnt it?
Well read through the first four verses of chapter 3, but focus on only one part of the first verse, today.
[Colossians 3:1-4]
Set your mind on things above. Where had some of the believers in these assemblies been setting their
minds? On things on the earth; on the flesh, and on religious methods, to control or improve it. But that
just caused sin to abound (Rm 5:20); sinful passions are aroused by restraint (Rm 7:5). The flesh cannot be
restrained; it must be reckoned dead (Gal 2:20, Rm 6:11, 8:13).
So this is where Paul begins. His If which starts verse 1 is better translated Since, in this case; Since
you were raised with Christ. Paul is beginning his exhortation to all those in the assemblies who have
united themselves to Christ by faith; this is for all believers.
Christ was raised; what was He raised in? A body of glory. Are you in a body of glory yet? Not yet. But
here, Paul is saying you died with Christ (v. 3), and were raised with Him - and the tenses of both verbs
mean, at one point of time, in the past.
This is how God sees you, in Christ. When you believed, what happened to Christ 2000 years ago
happened to you. He died, and was raised as the glorified Son of God; and when you believed, you died,
and were raised with Him - a glorified son of God.
Thats what it is to be born again, a child of God; here you are, a whole new creation in Him; all things
have become new (2 Cor 5:17) - you are no longer a son of Adam, with a temporary life, in a perishable
vessel; youre a son of God, with eternal Life, in a body of glory. God sees you as finished, complete; and
its how you are to see yourself. Its how you really are.
Life on earth is fleeting; the future becomes the present, and then its the past - moment by moment, it
disappears. And things on the earth are constantly changing; people, circumstances, thinking - theyre in a
constant state of flux. The things of the earth are the things that are seen; and the things that are seen are
temporary (2 Cor 4:18). The world is passing away (1 Jn 2:17). So how real are those things?

# 17: 2-21-14 E

But the things which are above are the things which are not seen; and those things are eternal (2 Cor 4:18);
theyre all part of eternity. Eternity goes on forever; no past, no present, no future. The things of eternity
are permanent; unchanging. Eternal things do not perish; they do not corrupt; they cannot be defiled; they
endure forever. How real is that?
And you are part of those things which are above, now; you entered into them the moment you believed.
You received eternal Life, for your body; and you possess that Life, here and now, and can live by it.
Since you were raised with Christ, Paul says, seek those things which are above. The idea is that of
urgency, of desire; striving after, with great earnestness.
And it is a continual seeking; as a new creation, born from above, you are to be constantly seeking those
things which are above. Why should you do that? Because those are the very things which foster your
new life, here on earth.
What would you say Paul means by the things above? Things where? In heaven, certainly. So we might
think, where God is; where the angels are; and thats certainly so. But notice that Paul only mentions one
particular thing, of the things above - what is it; who is it? Christ. The believer is to seek the things above,
where He is. Where is He? He is sitting at the right hand of God.
So lets take Pauls exhortation, and begin our seeking - our earnest desiring - right there.
What does it mean to be sitting at the right hand of God? God is spirit; a spirit does not have physical
form. So does a spirit have hands? No. Yet Paul says that Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.
As we seek to understand this, we can see that this is not meant literally; Paul is coining an expression of
speech. The right hand signifies the position of power, and authority, and honor. And this is the right hand
of God; the power, authority and honor is His.
Christ is seated there; what is it that He is seated on? He is seated on a throne. This is the throne of His
Father, God, who has shared it with Him (Rev 3:21). Is the throne a literal throne? No more than the hand
was a literal hand.
The throne signifies the seat of power over the entire universe; over heaven and earth. So this statement is
showing Christ in His supremacy and majesty; Christ, as Lord of all.
So we seek a little further: How did Christ come to be there, on the throne with His Father? In the
Revelation which He gave to the apostle John, Jesus indicated that it is because He overcame (Rev 3:21).
And what is it that He overcame? Jesus overcame Sin and Death, on behalf of men.
The author to the Hebrews wrote of Jesus that for the joy that was set before Him - that is, bringing many
sons to glory - Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame, and then sat down at the right hand of the
throne of God (Heb 12:2). He overcame sin, through His righteousness. How did He overcome death?
Through His resurrection.
Sin, overcome by righteousness; and death, overcome by eternal Life, in a body of glory. Thats how Jesus
overcame. And having accomplished the Fathers purposes, Jesus then returned to heaven, and sat down at
the right hand of God; for the work of redemption was finished (Jn 19:30).

# 17: 2-21-14 E

We know of the return of Jesus to heaven. After Jesus was resurrected, He spent forty days with His
disciples, opening up their understanding, showing Himself to be the fulfillment of the Scriptures
concerning Him (Lk 24:44).
Turn to Acts chapter 1. After Jesus completed His instructions to His disciples, Luke records His return to
heaven.
[Acts 1:9] As Isaiah had foretold, the Servant of Jehovah - Jesus - had dealt prudently; He humbled
Himself, and became obedient to the death of the cross (Phil 2:8); Christ crucified was the wisdom of God
(1 Cor 1;23-24). And having dealt prudently, now He was being exalted, lifted up, and raised very high (Is
52:13). In this simple statement, Luke records the ascension of the resurrected, glorified Jesus, back into
heaven.
Now at the end of his gospel, Luke records that Jesus was carried up into heaven (Lk 24:51). What carried
Him up? We see here, a cloud; a cloud received Jesus out of the sight of His disciples on earth, and carried
Him up, into heaven.
And as we continue to seek into this, we find that in Ephesians, Paul speaks of the ascension of Jesus using
the illustration of a glorious conqueror, just like we had seen in our letter to the Colossians (Col 2:15); in
fact, we spoke of it there.
Turn to Ephesians chapter 4. Paul is teaching about the spiritual graces which Christ gave to His Body; like
a victorious conquer bestowing gifts upon his subjects.
[Ephesians 4:7-10] In order to have the victory, Christ first had to descend into death, to free those who
held captive by Sin and Death. Then He ascended as the victor - out of death, through resurrection, and
ascending back to His Fathers right hand.
As the conqueror, the captives are now Christs; captivated by His love. And having had the victory, He
gave gifts to men; the spiritual graces, bestowed on the Body of Christ, on earth.
Now the quotation in verse 8, from which Paul is drawing his image, is from Psalm 68. That psalm
portrays Messiah as a conqueror, his chariot which is bearing Him being myriads of angels, by which he
ascended on high, having led captivity captive (Ps 68:17-18).
So lets return in our minds to that cloud, which received Jesus; which carried Him up into heaven. That
cloud was most likely an angelic escort, a cloud of glory, joyously bearing the victorious Jesus back to
heaven. Here is the Firstborn from the dead (Col 1:18) - the Son, the first to enter heaven in a body of
glory.
And as we seek further, we find this was not the end of the victory celebration. Turn to Hebrews chapter 1.
The writer begins his letter showing the supremacy of the Son over the angelic realm.
[Hebrews 1:1-4, 8-9]
v. 1-2a The Father spoke His words to His people through the prophets, but His Son is His Word; Jesus is
in Himself the expression of the Fathers love.
2b All things were created through Him and for Him (Col 1:16). The word worlds here means ages; all
of the ages have been framed around the Son.

# 17: 2-21-14 E

v. 3a The brightness of His glory - undiminished Deity. The express image of His person - the exact
representation of God. Upholding all things by the word of His power - omnipotent God. The writer is
showing the Son is completely equal to the Father; He is God.
v. 3b So the Son, the equal of the Father, laid aside His glory as God, in order to come to the earth, to
redeem mankind; to free us from our sins. And then what did He do? He sat down, at the right hand of the
Majesty on high - because the work of redemption had been accomplished.
v. 4-5 Here is the Son, begotten out from among the dead, by which He has become so much better than
the angels - because the Son has fulfilled His Fathers plan. Therefore God has highly exalted Him, and
given Him the name which above every name (Phil 2:9).
Skipping down to verse 8, we get a glimpse at the Sons inheritance.
v. 8-9 The oil of gladness is an emblem of the highest honor, an expression of the joy in heaven, at what
Jesus has accomplished. Here is the seal of Divine approval on what Jesus has done.
The anointing which the writer is referring to here speaks of the anointing with oil that a king would
receive, at his coronation.
Upon His return to heaven, Jesus was anointed by His Father as the King - crowned with glory and honor
(Heb 2:9); seated on the throne with His Father, sovereign over heaven and earth. Heaven and earth; those
are the two realms of Gods kingdom of sons - the sons that Jesus is bringing forth, to glory (Heb 2:10).
Sitting is a position of repose. For Jesus to be sitting at the right hand of God means that He is resting
there. So does that mean that Hes not doing anything? No. Remember that Jesus is resting in His finished
work of redemption.
But Jesus has other work that He is doing, which is being carried out on earth. What work is that? The
work of reconciliation. And in Scripture, the first action attributed to Jesus upon returning to heaven
concerns that work.
Turn to Acts chapter 2. The Day is Pentecost; ten days after Jesus had ascended back into heaven, 50 days
after His resurrection.
Pentecost was one of the LORDs appointed feasts, for Israel; a harvest feast, which foretells of the harvest of
souls in the church age. This day marked the beginning of that harvest, as the Holy Spirit was poured out
upon the disciples, which was the anointing of the Body of Christ for their ministry, to reconcile men to
God. As Peter is speaking on this day, notice to whom he attributes this pouring out of the Spirit.
[Acts 2:32-33] As the Head in heaven, Jesus anointed His own Body of believers on earth with the Holy
Spirit, to carry out His work of reconciliation. With this outpouring of the Spirit came the charismata, the
graces of the Spirit, to enable in the work.
One of those graces, the speaking in tongues, known foreign languages, was immediately manifested,
which drew the attention of the pilgrims who had come up to Jerusalem for the feast.
To them, Peter held forth Jesus as the Messiah, who through His raising from the dead and ascension into
heaven was proven to be both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). And that day, three thousand souls were added
to the church.

# 17: 2-21-14 E

Jesus has given the Holy Spirit to His Body of believers collectively so that He can continue His work of
bringing forth glorified sons in a greater way - through their greater numbers (Jn 14:12).
It is through the Holy Spirit that believers have unity with Christ - the Spirit guides them in the truth (Jn
16:13), so that they can all have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16), as they submit to their heavenly Head.
The Holy Spirit is also the source of believers unity with one another - as He teaches them to love (Eph
4:2-3). Along with the graces of the Spirit, this is the witness of Christ to those who have yet to respond to
His love; a witness that is supplemented through their conviction by the Holy Spirit, concerning their sin
(Jn 16:8-11).
And as we are carrying out the ministry of Jesus here on earth, Jesus is ministering for us, in heaven. What
is He doing? He is interceding for us, with the Father.
Turn to Romans chapter 8. Paul has been laying out the certainty that the believer has, of being glorified;
God will complete His purpose, for those who have responded to the call of the gospel.
As he concludes, Paul wished to give his listeners a final assurance, that this means they can never be
separated from their Father, God; they are His children; they possess His Life even now, and are on a sure
path to Him, in glory.
As Paul begins, he first indicates that sin cannot separate the believer from God. He uses judicial language
to illustrate this.
[Romans 8:31-34]
v. 31 The idea here is if God if for us - that is, He has ruled in our favor, pardoning us - who can be against
us? Whats the answer? No one. And lest anyone think God might change His mind, see what Paul says
next.
v. 32 The Father did not spare His own Son, in order to pardon us - to free us from all charges of sin. For
that purpose, the Father delivered up His Son, to death.
Thats the greatest sacrifice that could ever be made, and God made it. Would He then capriciously reverse
His decision, so that His Sons sacrifice was meaningless? Of course not. Quite the contrary - God will
give us all things we need, in order for His purposes to be realized, in us. In Christ, God gives us
everything we need pertaining to Life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3).
v. 33 The elect of God are those who respond to the call of the gospel, to become a son of God; God elects
them to salvation. The elect, the called, are those who believe.
God is absolutely just, in His decisions. If Gods justice has been completely satisfied concerning sin
through the sacrifice of Jesus once for all, then anyone who receives that sacrifice on their behalf through
faith is completely absolved from guilt, forever.
So who can bring a charge against the believer? No one; God has already acquitted him of all charges.
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Rm 8:1) - not now, not ever.
v. 34 This is an interesting question: who is He, who condemns? Actually, Christ; the Father has
committed all judgment to the Son (Jn 5:22).

# 17: 2-21-14 E

But will Christ condemn us, as believers? Of course not. Christ has died for us, in order to save us from
judgment.
And to emphasize this, Paul points out that Christ, who is now in the presence of God, is continuously
interceding there on our behalf, ensuring our salvation on the basis of His shed blood.
The author to the Hebrews wrote that He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through
Christ, since Christ always lives to make intercession for them (Heb 7:25).
We have such a High Priest, who is ministering on our behalf (Heb 8:1). And He makes it certain that there
is nothing that will separate us from the love of God - which is in Christ Jesus - He is our Lord (Rm 8:39).
Reconciling men to God; interceding on behalf of His own. These are the things that Jesus is doing, while
seated at the right hand of God. But as we continue to seek into what He is doing, we find that Jesus is
doing one more thing there; do you know what it is? He is waiting. What is He waiting for? For His
enemies to be made His footstool.
Turn to Hebrews chapter 10. The writer to the Hebrews is showing the fulfillment of what the ceremonial
Law only pictured; the taking away of sins, by the sacrifice of Jesus.
[Hebrews 10:11-13] The writer contrasts the repetitions of the ceremonial sacrifices, day after day - for
they only pictured the reality. But what about the offering of Jesus? He offered Himself just once, as the
sacrifice for sin - and then He was finished, He rested from it.
That completed work is the basis of His ongoing reconciling work, and intercessory work; but it never has
to be repeated. The sacrifice of Jesus was good for all sin, for all time; for whomever will believe. And
Jesus has been sitting at rest, ever since having made the offering of Himself; from that time, waiting till
His enemies are made His footstool.
This last part is actually quoted from Psalm 110, which is a psalm of David, concerning Messiah in His
Second Coming to the earth, to set up His kingdom.
The first verse of this psalm says, The LORD [Jehovah] said to my Lord [Adonai], Sit at My right hand, till
I make Your enemies Your footstool (Ps 110:1). In this psalm, the name Jehovah is being used to
represent God the Father; and Adonai represents God the Son; Messiah.
So it is the Father, then, who is making the enemies of Jesus His footstool. What does that mean? Well, in
Scripture, Gods footstool is the earth (Is 66:1); so the enemies spoken of here would be men; men in the
flesh.
Those who believe receive the work that Jesus did for them; through the redemption in His blood, He
reconciles them to God, and intercedes for them. But for those who refuse to believe, Jesus cannot work,
on their behalf; so Jesus is simply waiting; waiting for His Father to accomplish His purpose to subdue men
who insist on remaining at enmity with God.
Ultimately, this will be accomplished by God through the Great Tribulation; the hour of trial which is to
come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth (Rev 3:10). It will be a trial by fire.
There is another psalm that David wrote, prophesying of this time, from the LORDs perspective. Turn to
Psalm 2.

# 17: 2-21-14 E

[Psalm 2]
v. 1-3 In this psalm, the LORD is Jehovah, again representing the Father. His Anointed is Messiah; the Son.
And who has set themselves against the LORD and His Anointed? The rulers; the kings of the earth, and
those people, or nations, who are following their lead.
This is the global community. Theyre all men in the flesh, conspiring against God. And what is it that
they want to do? They want to cast off all the restraints of God; they want to have their own will, not His;
they want to forge their own destiny.
They intend to create a utopia; to have their heaven on earth. Men will rule over the earth, themselves;
theyll protect the earth, and live in peace with one another. Can you see this is happening, in our day? Or
not happening, actually? Because the only problem is, all those wills for self
You can see why Jesus prophesied that this time, which will culminate in the Great Tribulation, will be
marked by wars and rumors of war, of nation rising against nation, kingdom against kingdom (Mt 24:6-7).
So much for peace.
What does Jehovah think about this?
v. 4-6 Jehovah laughs; He thinks this is ludicrous. Men are merely a creation of God; they are incapable of
forging their own destiny; thats for their Creator to decide. And their Creator already has. Hes created a
great destiny for them - to be a son of God - a destiny He has already secured for them, through His Son.
And men in the flesh are consumed by self-will, which is manifested in their unrighteousness. There can be
no peace, without righteousness - which also comes only through His Son.
But these men will not receive His Son. So Jehovah shatters their imagined rebellion, with a declaration of
His victory. He has already established His Anointed King, His Son, on His holy hill of Zion; Gods capital
city, Jerusalem, from where the Son will rule over the earth. Secured in the prophecy, the enemies have
already been made the footstool of Gods Son.
Now Jehovahs Anointed One speaks.
v. 7-9 This is the Son, begotten of the Father as the Firstborn from the dead; the risen Christ. By right of
creation and now by right of redemption, all belong to Him; in all things, He has the preeminence (Col
1:18).
The Son is the heir, the ruler over the kings of the earth; the King of kings (Rev 19:16). And as such, He
has the say. Those men in the flesh who have resisted the love of God in Christ will be destroyed in
judgment, when Christ returns (Mt 25:41-46); shattered, like hardened clay.
The last part of the psalm pertains to His reign.
v. 10-12 Kiss the Son refers to the ancient custom of kissing the signet ring of the king, to indicate
submission to His authority.
Men will continue to have a choice in the Kingdom Age, during the 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth.
They can submit to the Son; or, they will be put to death, for any outward demonstration of rebellion. His
reign will be characterized by undisturbed peace and perfect righteousness; the very things that men need.

# 17: 2-21-14 E

When we began seeking those things above where Christ is - sitting at the right hand of God - did you think
that there would be quite so many things to seek out? And all we have done is considered an overview of
one single thing - there are so many details concerning it, which you could seek out on your own.
You could actually do that - if you will set your mind on things above. The Holy Spirit is ready to lead you
into all truth; He will ensure that as you seek, you will find.
I want to give you a little incentive, to do some seeking, yourself.
Turn to Revelation chapter 3. Jesus gave this revelation to the apostle John, beginning with a revelation of
Himself, as the Judge. Jesus then gave His words to John for seven churches, which were actual
assemblies, but also represented church ages. We will be looking at the last words of Jesus, to the last
church.
[Revelation 3:21-22] Now as He concluded His address to each church, Jesus spoke of him who
overcomes, just as He does here. Overcoming refers to persevering through trial, obstacles, or enemies,
prevailing to obtain the victory.
In all cases, Jesus speaks of reward, for the one who overcomes. But only in this case does Jesus
specifically correlate the believers overcoming with His own; and notice that the reward correlates, as well.
What is the reward, that Jesus states here, for the believer? That he will sit with Jesus on His throne; as
Jesus sat down with His Father, on His throne.
What does that mean? Well, we remember that this is figurative; the throne symbolizes the seat of power.
Jesus sat down at the right hand of His Father; together, they are ruling and reigning, in heaven.
The believer, through persevering through to the victory, will be granted by Jesus to sit on His throne. That
is to say, the believer will rule and reign, with Jesus. Where? In the New Jerusalem; the home of the Bride
(Rev 21:2).
Not long from now, we will together be ruling with Jesus, and we will be doing so, throughout the
Kingdom age, right on into eternity. Soon, likely very soon, we will be reigning with Him, administrating
as His kingdom of priests, over the entire earth (Rev 2:26, 5:10).
The question is, are we ready for that? Perhaps we better start minding the things above!
Reading: Col 3, Rom 8:1-13, 1 Pet 1:3-9, 1 Th 4:13-18.