Ephesians | "Things Above" | Week Five | Kurt Petersheim

[SPEAKER_00]: Good morning, Church family.

[SPEAKER_00]: If everyone can flip with me to Colossians 3-1-4.

[SPEAKER_00]: Since you have been raised to new life with Christ set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand, think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

[SPEAKER_00]: For you died to this life and your real life is hidden with Christ and God, and when Christ who is your life is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

[SPEAKER_00]: This is the word of the Lord.

[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks, Peter God.

[SPEAKER_01]: Like I said, if you have a Bible going open up to the book of Colossians, if you don't have one with you, there's Bibles in there, a lot of the chairs, so look around, we actually bought some new ones recently as well, so we're going to be filling in the gaps on those, but yeah, if you don't have a Bible, you can have one of those, okay, that's your Bible, take it home with you if you want that.

[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, open it up with me to Colossians chapter four, kind of right in the middle of our new testament.

[SPEAKER_01]: We've been in Ephesians for the past several weeks.

[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to continue on in through Ephesians.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think at this pace, we're going to be in Ephesians about two and a half

[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know.

[SPEAKER_01]: What was the, I'm just here.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm really I'm letting the Lord lead it and I'm having fun with it.

[SPEAKER_01]: I hope you guys are enjoying it as well.

[SPEAKER_01]: But for this Sunday, and this is what I love about doing, doing what like we're doing, just being an Ephesians, not kind of having a specific series, but really just walking through a book is from time to time.

[SPEAKER_01]: The Lord may, you know, just kind of give me a thought of, hey, let's, let's take a Sunday and talk on something different, maybe that Ephesians led us to.

[SPEAKER_01]: And so this this morning, now we're not going to specifically be in the book of Ephesians, but last week, as we just thought we kind of opened up this, this idea of the spiritual blessings, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: Paul starts the letter of Ephesians with just praise, be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms.

[SPEAKER_01]: with every spiritual blessing in Christ, and so I thought, you know, let's talk a little bit more about what it means to think on and have our minds set upon the things in heaven and not on earth.

[SPEAKER_01]: The heavenly places, the heavenly realms, we see very much about this all throughout scripture, Old Testament and New Testament, and so yeah, I just wanted to take a Sunday to think a little bit more about that, talk a little bit more through that.

[SPEAKER_01]: It really just asked the question this morning, what does that mean for us?

[SPEAKER_01]: How can we set our minds on things above?

[SPEAKER_01]: Set our minds on things above and not on the things of this or so from Colossians 3 1 through 4.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's where we're gonna kind of anchor this morning and then we'll move around to some other scriptures as well Let's pray together before we jump in and actually I want to praise specifically because it is missions month We actually have that I know of and there might even be more about know we have three

[SPEAKER_01]: of our Eastridge family members on mission right now in other places in the world.

[SPEAKER_01]: We have Mary Haloseck in the Czech Republic.

[SPEAKER_01]: We have Elena Russell and Cambodia and Lauren Hicks and Ogden Utah this week, all of them on mission, which is exciting.

[SPEAKER_01]: And so let's pray for them.

[SPEAKER_01]: And let's just pray together and be in the word this morning.

[SPEAKER_01]: So let's pray.

[SPEAKER_01]: Lord, thank you again for all your grace to us, God, thank you that you are such a wonderful faithful God in so many ways, Lord, and we do pray over these that I've just named Mary and Elena and Lauren and their particular missions that they're on right now, and if there are, there might even be others that are part of our church family who are on mission right now somewhere in the world, and so God would just lift them up to you, pray for safety, we pray for fruitfulness and effectiveness.

[SPEAKER_01]: We prefer encouragement over them, missions can be hard and discouraging sometimes, and so yeah, we'd spread that with senior fruit being born in and through them for the glory of your name and that the gospel would prevail and that it would spread where they are.

[SPEAKER_01]: Lord, lead us now in your word and this morning, my prayer for myself and for all of my brothers and sisters right here in front of me and anyone that would be listening to this later would be God that you would make us heavenly minded, set our minds and hearts on things above in Jesus name, name and

[SPEAKER_01]: All right, so he is Paul Paul says let me let me read this again.

[SPEAKER_01]: He says since then you have been raised with Christ Colossians 3 set your hearts on things above now some translations and I'll come back this in a minute, but some translations don't say set your hearts, they just say seek.

[SPEAKER_01]: seek the things above.

[SPEAKER_01]: We'll come back to that, but set your hearts, months as, set your hearts on things above, or Christ is seated at the right hand of God, set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

[SPEAKER_01]: For you died, you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

[SPEAKER_01]: When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

[SPEAKER_01]: So the things above, here's the question, what are these things?

[SPEAKER_01]: What are the things that are things above that Paul is encouraging the collocians?

[SPEAKER_01]: I would say, by extension us and all Christians, what are those things that we should be seeking?

[SPEAKER_01]: Now we should be setting our minds upon.

[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if you don't know this, but spirituality in general really is on the rise.

[SPEAKER_01]: Around the world, there's been studies on these things and numbers kind of vary depending on what study you look at.

[SPEAKER_01]: around the world.

[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, Christianity itself is growing in many places in the world, praise God, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Brazil, Argentina, Ghana, places where there is heavy persecution, where literally illegal to be a Christian Christianity is on the rise in those places, which is unbelievable and awesome.

[SPEAKER_01]: Also India China the Middle East Russia UK and here in America even there seems to be at least a rise in spiritual interests and and and Christianity Missionaries are I mean still we're just seeing great movements of missionaries all around the world church planting

[SPEAKER_01]: house churches underground churches and places where it is illegal.

[SPEAKER_01]: Um, I think maybe we are on the doorstep of possibly an unprecedented move of the gospel in the world.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think, I mean, it seems like there is at least stirrings of that.

[SPEAKER_01]: And that's exciting to me, um, of revival and awakening.

[SPEAKER_01]: But here's what that will take.

[SPEAKER_01]: It will take a church, and I don't mean Easterage.

[SPEAKER_01]: I mean the,

[SPEAKER_01]: Church, global church, capital C being committed to a lifestyle that is intentional, Christ-centered, kingdom-minded, spirit-led, and God-glorify, that we have to get our eyes, our minds, our hearts, off of ourselves, and onto the kingdom of God.

[SPEAKER_01]: and onto the things that are above.

[SPEAKER_01]: So what are those things that are above us as Paul says here in Colossians?

[SPEAKER_01]: What are those things?

[SPEAKER_01]: Number one, three, three things that the things above, two, two that they are and one that they are not.

[SPEAKER_01]: Number one is this, the things pertaining to Christ's place at the right hand of God.

[SPEAKER_01]: So what he says, seek the things that are above.

[SPEAKER_01]: Set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated, he says.

[SPEAKER_01]: Verse one, at the right hand of God.

[SPEAKER_01]: What are those things?

[SPEAKER_01]: What are the things that pertains to Christ's place at the right hand of the Father?

[SPEAKER_01]: We know in the gospel.

[SPEAKER_01]: We learn this that Jesus was incarnated as a human being fully God, fully man.

[SPEAKER_01]: We talked about this last week that he lived a sinless perfectory life that he died on a cross and he rose again from the dead after three days or celebrate that in a few weeks on Easter.

[SPEAKER_01]: And then that he ascended back to heaven.

[SPEAKER_01]: And now sits at the right hand.

[SPEAKER_01]: Father, so what are those things pertaining to that?

[SPEAKER_01]: It's really four things.

[SPEAKER_01]: His resurrection, as we just said, number two, his power and authority over heaven and earth.

[SPEAKER_01]: These are the things that we seek.

[SPEAKER_01]: These are the things we put our minds on.

[SPEAKER_01]: His power, his authority.

[SPEAKER_01]: Number three, his victory over sin and death.

[SPEAKER_01]: Number four, his intercession on our behalf.

[SPEAKER_01]: And you got to see some scriptures here.

[SPEAKER_01]: Actually, I do want to read a little bit of Ephesians, chapter one.

[SPEAKER_01]: I can't stay away from him.

[SPEAKER_01]: Sorry.

[SPEAKER_01]: But Ephesians, chapter one.

[SPEAKER_01]: here here listen what he says here verse 18.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's praying for the Ephesians.

[SPEAKER_01]: Ephesians 18.

[SPEAKER_01]: I pray also listen that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you.

[SPEAKER_01]: The riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and his incomparably great power for us who believe that powers like the working of his mighty strength which he exerted in Christ.

[SPEAKER_01]: Here it is.

[SPEAKER_01]: When he raised him from the dead,

[SPEAKER_01]: and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.

[SPEAKER_01]: Far above all rule in authority, power in dominion, and every side of that can be given, not only in the present age, but also in the ones that come.

[SPEAKER_01]: You hear things above.

[SPEAKER_01]: This is what we're thinking on, Christ's seat at the right hand of the Father.

[SPEAKER_01]: In verse 22, He said, God placed all things under His feet.

[SPEAKER_01]: Here's his authority, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: All things under His feet appointed him to be head over everything

[SPEAKER_01]: which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

[SPEAKER_01]: So as we're thinking on the things that are above, we're thinking of Christ and his place at the right hand of the Father.

[SPEAKER_01]: And that means that he is the resurrected and authoritative king over all heaven and earth.

[SPEAKER_01]: over all power, all principalities that far above all rule and authority.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's the spiritual reality, that's the physical reality, that's the heavenly realms, that's authority over angels and demons over powers, over principalities, over kings and kingdoms all over the earth, Christ has the power and authority.

[SPEAKER_01]: And so we set our minds on that.

[SPEAKER_01]: This is what Paul is calling us calling us to do.

[SPEAKER_01]: The Jewish people in the first century in particular, you can kind of see it, especially in Colossians, if you read some more Colossians chapter two, and even in Hebrews chapter one, the Jewish people were kind of consumed with sort of superstitious beliefs, actually, about angels in particular.

[SPEAKER_01]: They were very interested in angels.

[SPEAKER_01]: um, and Paul and the author of Hebrews, both are kind of making this point like, stop.

[SPEAKER_01]: Like, you don't have to concern yourself just with angels.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's saying, we concern ourselves with Christ as we concern ourselves within all things, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: The spiritual thing, yeah, like, that's interesting.

[SPEAKER_01]: You read about it, learn about this, let's find.

[SPEAKER_01]: But we are not going to spend our time concerning ourselves with lesser spiritual realities.

[SPEAKER_01]: We can concern ourselves with thee.

[SPEAKER_01]: truth, who is Jesus and his kingdom and his kingness over all these things, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: And so his resurrection, his power and authority, his victory over sin and death, first Corinthians 15, 54th or 57th, that's the passage where Paul says, where oh death is your victory, where oh death is your sting.

[SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[SPEAKER_01]: He's just calling it out that Jesus because of his death on the cross for our sins bearing the wrath of God on our behalf and his resurrection now from the dead sin and death have no power, no victory, no sting over us.

[SPEAKER_01]: And this is what we set our minds on when we set our minds on Christ who is above.

[SPEAKER_01]: And finally, his intercession on our behalf, Romans 834 says that He is at the right hand of the Father, doing what interceding for the saints always.

[SPEAKER_01]: Let incense arise, again, that idea there is from Revelation where it's our prayers going up, that Christ accepts the prayers of the saints and hands them to His Father to do His will.

[SPEAKER_01]: This is the picture we get that He's always interceding on our behalf, saying, if we are praying in Christ's name, as He teaches us to pray, it's like Jesus signs our prayers, each one of them, as you pray, that He signs them and hands them to the Father.

[SPEAKER_01]: And if Jesus signature is on it, it will be done according to the will of God.

[SPEAKER_01]: That is good news.

[SPEAKER_01]: This is what we set our minds on.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's awesome, and it's amazing news for us.

[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, number two, things pertaining to things above, what are the things above?

[SPEAKER_01]: Number two, things pertaining to our relationship with Christ.

[SPEAKER_01]: So the first thing is his place at the right hand of the Father, and the second thing is our relationship too.

[SPEAKER_01]: And he says, set your minds on things above, not on earthly things, for you died.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's starting it to you now, you died.

[SPEAKER_01]: And your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

[SPEAKER_01]: when Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

[SPEAKER_01]: So you have been raised with Christ.

[SPEAKER_01]: He says, you died, and you have been raised with Christ.

[SPEAKER_01]: By faith, Christ's death.

[SPEAKER_01]: We talk about this all the time, really, but last week, a couple of weeks ago, our death in Christ, when Jesus died on the cross, his death became your death.

[SPEAKER_01]: And when Jesus rose from the dead, His life became your life by faith.

[SPEAKER_01]: We are united to His death to sin and His life, His resurrected life, free from the power of sin and death, amen?

[SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[SPEAKER_01]: This is what we set our minds on.

[SPEAKER_01]: Romans 6, 1 through 11, I've preached on that passage before it's one of my favorite, most, I think it's the most, one of the most helpful passages in the Bible about being rid of the sinful nature in our lives and living according to grace and the glory of God.

[SPEAKER_01]: He says, what sin is no longer our master because we're not under law, we're under grace.

[SPEAKER_01]: Count yourselves.

[SPEAKER_01]: He says, Romans 16, count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God.

[SPEAKER_01]: In Christ Jesus, dead to sin, alive to God.

[SPEAKER_01]: Because why?

[SPEAKER_01]: We have died and been raised with Him.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's alive and we are alive in Him forever.

[SPEAKER_01]: And He died to sin, therefore we die to sin forever.

[SPEAKER_01]: And he says, your life is also now hidden with Christ in God.

[SPEAKER_01]: That word hidden, it's an interesting word.

[SPEAKER_01]: That word hidden means, it can mean several different things that translated different ways throughout the New Testament.

[SPEAKER_01]: It can mean to keep hidden, to keep secret, or to keep safe.

[SPEAKER_01]: And really, I think in the context of Colossians here where he says, your life is hidden with Christ in God.

[SPEAKER_01]: This is not about hiding something to keep it that secret because it's embarrassing.

[SPEAKER_01]: This is about keeping something safe and secure

[SPEAKER_01]: That's what this word is.

[SPEAKER_01]: Your life is hidden with Christ.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's safe, it's secure because of the value that it has, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: Your life in Christ is kept secure.

[SPEAKER_01]: It is kept safe by God so that he will not lose any of his children.

[SPEAKER_01]: Not ever.

[SPEAKER_01]: God has kept us Philippians 16.

[SPEAKER_01]: He who began a good work will bring it to completion on the day of Christ.

[SPEAKER_01]: Romans 830, everyone he predestined, he called whoever he called, he justified whoever he justified, he glorified.

[SPEAKER_01]: 1 Peter 1, 3 through 5, that our salvation is kept in heaven shielded by God's power.

[SPEAKER_01]: And John 639, Jesus himself says, I will lose no one that comes to me, but I will raise them up on the last day.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's a statement from your Lord.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's not gonna lose you.

[SPEAKER_01]: We keep our minds on this, why we look to the things above we're Christ's seated at the heavenly, and the heavenly realms on the throne, because man, we see in him the one who will keep us to the end.

[SPEAKER_01]: the more we keep our minds on ourselves and the things of the earth, man, the more frustrated and discouraged and disheartened we're going to get, especially about our salvation, because we know, I can't keep myself.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm dumb, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: I just am sometimes, and so are you.

[SPEAKER_01]: I hate to burst your bubble.

[SPEAKER_01]: We don't always have it all together.

[SPEAKER_01]: And we're not strong enough wise enough smart enough rich enough to make our way into the kingdom.

[SPEAKER_01]: But Christ will keep his children.

[SPEAKER_01]: He will keep us and secure us hidden with Christ in God.

[SPEAKER_01]: So the things that are above are all the things which pertain to who Christ is and where Christ is and who we are as people united to Him by faith.

[SPEAKER_01]: He says, Christ is your life.

[SPEAKER_01]: He says Christ is your life.

[SPEAKER_01]: So he says our lives are hidden with Christ in God.

[SPEAKER_01]: And he says Christ is your life.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think those two phrases really represent the whole reality of the Christian life that we are in him and he is in us.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's the reality of being a Christian.

[SPEAKER_01]: You are in Christ.

[SPEAKER_01]: Christ is in you.

[SPEAKER_01]: He is your life.

[SPEAKER_01]: Philippians 1, 21.

[SPEAKER_01]: Two live is Christ.

[SPEAKER_01]: And today is game.

[SPEAKER_01]: Because our minds are set on things above.

[SPEAKER_01]: Right.

[SPEAKER_01]: We're Christ to seated at the right hand of God.

[SPEAKER_01]: So those are the two things that the things above are number three, what are the things above not number three is they are not earthly things.

[SPEAKER_01]: So what he says, okay, guys, this is not, this is not rocket science.

[SPEAKER_01]: This is just read what the, what the scripture says here.

[SPEAKER_01]: So the things above are not earth think set your mind verse two on things above.

[SPEAKER_01]: not on earthly things, earthly things, three categories.

[SPEAKER_01]: Three categories of earthly things.

[SPEAKER_01]: Number one, sinful desires.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's earthly things, sinful desires.

[SPEAKER_01]: Colossians three, five, they're not really the rest of this section and Colossians that he just begins to go in on, like, okay, verse five, put to death whatever belongs to your earthly, and there's that earthly, earthly nature, sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, which is idolatry, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: And he goes on to talk about more of those things, really sinfulness, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: We put those things to death.

[SPEAKER_01]: We have died to those things, so we don't live in them any longer.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's one category of,

[SPEAKER_01]: earthly things.

[SPEAKER_01]: Number two category of earthly things is temporary concerns.

[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe not necessarily specifically sinfulness, but even just temporary concerns.

[SPEAKER_01]: I read you guys a little bit of Matthew chapter six last week where Jesus is just saying, stop worrying about your life.

[SPEAKER_01]: What you're going to eat, what you're going to drink, what you're going to wear.

[SPEAKER_01]: That God knows what you need.

[SPEAKER_01]: He knows the concerns of this life.

[SPEAKER_01]: He knows you need food in water and clothes and shelter and all this.

[SPEAKER_01]: He will take care of you.

[SPEAKER_01]: He will provide for his children because he's a good five don't worry about it.

[SPEAKER_01]: I don't mean don't work hard That doesn't mean that at all.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yes work hard.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yes be diligent.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yes plan all those things Those are fine, but we do all those things without anxiety and worry and stress because we know Ultimately God is the one who gives us our daily bread and Jesus taught us to pray this way.

[SPEAKER_01]: Didn't he?

[SPEAKER_01]: Give us today our daily bread

[SPEAKER_01]: Jesus didn't say, Lord, give us this year our yearly bread and you pray it once a year.

[SPEAKER_01]: Give us today because you want you to pray every day and two, you want you to know, okay, I can fit that in my hands.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's a little bit and I'm going to trust the Lord today and I'm going to trust the Lord tomorrow and I'm going to ask him again.

[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.

[SPEAKER_01]: So it's not it's not temporary concerns.

[SPEAKER_01]: Y'all this

[SPEAKER_01]: The world news, look, I know what's going on in the world and we know and we are praying about it.

[SPEAKER_01]: We know the things and the world will over the war and all the things, I mean, we get it.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's a lot of things.

[SPEAKER_01]: But we don't set our minds on these things, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: We don't set our hearts on these and the way, I know some people can just let that stuff consume them.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's the point of just overwhelming anxiety and stress and frustration and sadness.

[SPEAKER_01]: I get, and that's hard, I understand, but man.

[SPEAKER_01]: The thing is going on in the world and the politics and or you know what, what else is kind of temporary concerns, money, vanity, how we look are comfort.

[SPEAKER_01]: How much do we set our minds on just being comfortable?

[SPEAKER_01]: Go home today, I'm just this, I listen, this is me too, just a little maybe convicting exercise for you, go home today and just look around at the things that you purchase just for your comfort.

[SPEAKER_01]: And we spend a lot of time in effort and money on those things.

[SPEAKER_01]: And I have, too, okay?

[SPEAKER_01]: Like, I'm just being honest with you.

[SPEAKER_01]: But these are the things that are not the things above that were told to set our minds on and our affections on.

[SPEAKER_01]: These are things of the earth.

[SPEAKER_01]: So simple desires, of course.

[SPEAKER_01]: temporary concerns, but number three, spiritual imitations, spiritual imitations, or counterfeit spirituality.

[SPEAKER_01]: He said, Paul said, said, our minds on things above, not merely spiritual things.

[SPEAKER_01]: He didn't say set your minds on spiritual things.

[SPEAKER_01]: Again, they were consumed sometimes with like worshiping even angels in the writer of Hebrews, that's to go to this whole thing about Christ's greater than them, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: Don't don't worry so much about them.

[SPEAKER_01]: They're just servants and ministers, but Christ is the one that we set our minds on.

[SPEAKER_01]: He is the one sitting at the right hand of God.

[SPEAKER_01]: spiritual things.

[SPEAKER_01]: There's a lot of spiritual things that are not the things above.

[SPEAKER_01]: He says, set your mind on the things above where Christ is.

[SPEAKER_01]: Colossians chapter two talks about a few of these different things.

[SPEAKER_01]: Hollow, philosophies, empty deceptions, superstitious beliefs, false religion.

[SPEAKER_01]: Galatians 520, this thing guy, apostle Paul, he mentions idolatry and sorcery.

[SPEAKER_01]: That many of them were practicing is it was the pursuit of any spiritual entity, reality, or experience that is not Christ Jesus, who is seated at the right hand of God.

[SPEAKER_01]: Oftentimes these things for them, certainly, and I think even today anybody that maybe gets into that world and practices those things is often associated with drugs and drink to alter one state of mind.

[SPEAKER_01]: Again, earthly things.

[SPEAKER_01]: You can't set your mind on things above if your mind's in a stuper about the things of the earth because you just want that kind of experience and that kind of spirituality.

[SPEAKER_01]: And these would also include things like this.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm just gonna name some of these things and listen, I don't know if any of you are interested or have practiced or tried to practice any of these things but I'm gonna name them because I know some that have and I know some that have struggled with this or maybe even still do astrology.

[SPEAKER_01]: You know 80% of millennials in Gen Z believe in astrology and 72% say that they make major life decisions based on their horoscope, 72% tarot cards, psychic readings, clairvoyance, mediums, contacting the dead, palm reading, crystal divination,

[SPEAKER_01]: numerology, weegee board, spirit boards, channeling spirit, spirit guides, wickah, witchcraft, spell casting, charms, talismans, dream catchers, using yoga or montures or meditations for communication with the divine power.

[SPEAKER_01]: New age spirituality, humanism, spirit animals, astral projection, universe deification, like the universe is God, right praying to the universe.

[SPEAKER_01]: Syncretism.

[SPEAKER_01]: Syncretism would be incorporating any of that stuff into your Christianity.

[SPEAKER_01]: There are actual churches that teach that stuff, I've heard it.

[SPEAKER_01]: Like, write books on this stuff, like, bring witchcraft into the church and let's make it Christ's like, no!

[SPEAKER_01]: We don't need it.

[SPEAKER_01]: We have him.

[SPEAKER_01]: You don't add anything to him.

[SPEAKER_01]: We set our minds on the him and the things above, not on earthly things.

[SPEAKER_01]: And this would also include false Christian doctrines, work-based salvation and prosperity gospel, word of faith, false prophecies, universalism.

[SPEAKER_01]: Even though these things are spiritual and nature, they're not the things above.

[SPEAKER_01]: There are things of this earth, things of this corrupt and dying kingdom of this world.

[SPEAKER_01]: In Ephesians, Paul calls Satan the Prince of the power of the air.

[SPEAKER_01]: But this is where he operates still, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: Like, in the art now, he's gonna use spirituality and your interest in spiritual things.

[SPEAKER_01]: But it's all things of the earth.

[SPEAKER_01]: Why?

[SPEAKER_01]: Because it taps into your sinful nature to get you what you want to get or have some experience that you want to have.

[SPEAKER_01]: And so listen, ultimately, I just want to make this warning about that stuff.

[SPEAKER_01]: If you are living in pursuit of any of those things sinful desires, of course, temporary concerns or spiritual imitations repent of those things.

[SPEAKER_01]: lay them down.

[SPEAKER_01]: You are setting your heart and your mind on earthly things and not on Christ.

[SPEAKER_01]: Specifically, if you are practicing anything related to the occult, new age spirituality, false Christian doctrine, anything like that, listen, repent, and I'll specifically say this word, renounce those ways.

[SPEAKER_01]: And Ephesus, we actually see chapter 19 of the book of Acts.

[SPEAKER_01]: When did they do they brought their books of witchcraft and sorcery and they burned them in the square to say, the gospel wins here.

[SPEAKER_01]: Jesus wins here.

[SPEAKER_01]: We're giving it up.

[SPEAKER_01]: We're laying it down.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's for penance.

[SPEAKER_01]: Right, renounce that.

[SPEAKER_01]: And I'll say this.

[SPEAKER_01]: Last word of warning about that.

[SPEAKER_01]: If you are pursuing those things, other spiritualities, other like looking for star signs or other entities or spirits, whatever, listen, you might get more than you bargained for.

[SPEAKER_01]: None of the people, none of the spirits, none of the practices of those things will save you either.

[SPEAKER_01]: Even if some of that, like, even if it works for you in some way, even if you put your hope in, like, your zodiac and in, like, you make a decision and it comes to fruition and it worked out great.

[SPEAKER_01]: Even if that happens, no splash, you're still dead and sin.

[SPEAKER_01]: And you need him Christ who has seated at the right hand of God interceding for us.

[SPEAKER_01]: Listen, we need no other spiritual help, no medium, no experience to know and be right with God other than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's who we need.

[SPEAKER_01]: And he ends that part by saying Christ is all and is in all.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's verse 11.

[SPEAKER_01]: Christ is all and is in all.

[SPEAKER_01]: And so Paul says, Paul says here, again, set your heart is what my translation here says.

[SPEAKER_01]: Your translation might just say, seek, verse one, seek the things that are above.

[SPEAKER_01]: And then he says, set your mind, seek and set your mind, seek and set your mind or set your heart and set your mind.

[SPEAKER_01]: This is to look into that, what that word's seek, or set your heart is to look into it, to investigate.

[SPEAKER_01]: So as to get to the bottom of something, it's to study something, to consume yourself with something.

[SPEAKER_01]: Again, like think about the things that consume your time and your energy and your mental capacities.

[SPEAKER_01]: Think about the things that you study.

[SPEAKER_01]: There are some experts in this room about many different things.

[SPEAKER_01]: And it's okay, it's okay to be an expert so okay to have knowledge about certain things.

[SPEAKER_01]: Paul is saying, being expert on the things above,

[SPEAKER_01]: set your heart and your mind on those things.

[SPEAKER_01]: This is about growing in your ability to see the things above and consequently, to see all things as they really are.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's Paul's heart here.

[SPEAKER_01]: He wants us to see things clearly as they really truly are.

[SPEAKER_01]: Y'all know the story in Second King's chapter six?

[SPEAKER_01]: I think we have it up here.

[SPEAKER_01]: Second King's chapter six on the, go to the side of the says, seek and seek and set your mind.

[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, second king's six.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's the story of Elijah the prophet and he takes his servant and they're surrounded by the air means.

[SPEAKER_01]: You don't know that story?

[SPEAKER_01]: And the air means are coming to kill Elijah because he's like been, you know, telling the Israelites where the air mean king is going to attack and all these things because God tells him.

[SPEAKER_01]: So they're trying to figure that out and they're like, okay, this, this, this profit, he knows our plans.

[SPEAKER_01]: He knows the things that we're doing in secret because God is, is downloading it, say him.

[SPEAKER_01]: So let's go kill this guy.

[SPEAKER_01]: They surround him in this village and they, they come out.

[SPEAKER_01]: The servant comes out in the morning.

[SPEAKER_01]: He sees the armies of the air.

[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, he's like, oh my goodness, you're going back inside.

[SPEAKER_01]: Elijah, there's around it.

[SPEAKER_01]: Like, what are we going to do?

[SPEAKER_01]: And Elijah just simply does this.

[SPEAKER_01]: He goes, God, open his eyes so that he can see.

[SPEAKER_01]: And the, the serving goes back out and looks and it's just,

[SPEAKER_01]: all around them surrounding those armies, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: This is what Paul wants for us to open our eyes that we can see.

[SPEAKER_01]: Second Corinthians 418, we're told to fix our eyes on what is unseen.

[SPEAKER_01]: Ask the things above, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: What is unseen?

[SPEAKER_01]: Because the things that are unseen are eternal, the things that are seen are temporary.

[SPEAKER_01]: And Hebrews 11 and 12, we're told that Hebrews 11, one, faith is the assurance of things hope for in the conviction of things not seen.

[SPEAKER_01]: And Hebrews 12, two, he tells us to fix our eyes on who?

[SPEAKER_01]: On Jesus, the author and professor of faith.

[SPEAKER_01]: We don't see him, not yet, not now.

[SPEAKER_01]: We will, every eye will see him.

[SPEAKER_01]: We sang at this morning, we will look upon him.

[SPEAKER_01]: We don't now.

[SPEAKER_01]: And so now we see with what we see with the eyes of faith.

[SPEAKER_01]: We see with the eyes of our hearts.

[SPEAKER_01]: And again, Ephesians 1, 18, I read this a minute ago.

[SPEAKER_01]: He just praised that the eyes of their hearts may be enlightened.

[SPEAKER_01]: Paul is asking his praying.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's hoping he's seeking God for his listeners that their eyes in here.

[SPEAKER_01]: Eyes of faith, not these are the eyes that we live our whole lives by.

[SPEAKER_01]: Like everything I can see and taste and touch like the physical world around me, but Paul's is going, no, there's better eyesight that God wants to give you and it's in here, set these eyes on things above, not on things of the earth.

[SPEAKER_01]: Seeking, that that word's seeking or setting your heart, it is about seeing with the eyes of faith.

[SPEAKER_01]: And setting your mind, that's just about all of our

[SPEAKER_01]: And feeling really, there's no good English word for that particular Greek word, where he says, set your mind, because that's not just about thinking, it's about feeling.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's about our affections as well.

[SPEAKER_01]: So it's thinking and feeling all together, setting all of our faculties upon Christ.

[SPEAKER_01]: So what he's saying, everything you got, give it to him.

[SPEAKER_01]: And so again, just for some application for us.

[SPEAKER_01]: Last night actually I had kind of changed a power wanted to end this sermon.

[SPEAKER_01]: I was washing dishes and this happened sometimes while I'm washing dishes.

[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know, a lot of my sermons happen at the sink.

[SPEAKER_01]: But I was washing dishes last night.

[SPEAKER_01]: And you know, I was going to listen to some of the podcast I listened to throughout the week and all that stuff.

[SPEAKER_01]: And didn't really have anything that I needed to listen to.

[SPEAKER_01]: That I was looking forward to listening to.

[SPEAKER_01]: And I was like, I just listened to a sermon.

[SPEAKER_01]: I don't always do that.

[SPEAKER_01]: But I was like, I always did a sermon.

[SPEAKER_01]: So I went through some of the guys I listened to.

[SPEAKER_01]: I hadn't listened to a John Piper in quite a while.

[SPEAKER_01]: So I was like, I'll listen to him.

[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't listen to this kind of like Piper in general.

[SPEAKER_01]: So put him on.

[SPEAKER_01]: And he happened to be preaching.

[SPEAKER_01]: It was like a conference from the 90's.

[SPEAKER_01]: He was preaching that.

[SPEAKER_01]: He just, on the, at the end of it, do just went off about this.

[SPEAKER_01]: He wasn't this passage, but it was setting our minds and our hearts on the kingdom.

[SPEAKER_01]: And then it convicted the mess out of me.

[SPEAKER_01]: It really did.

[SPEAKER_01]: I about brought me to tears.

[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, washing dishes, like weeping.

[SPEAKER_01]: Y'all, it is hard to set our minds.

[SPEAKER_01]: He's tomorrow fixing your eyes, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: This is resolution here.

[SPEAKER_01]: So what Paul is saying?

[SPEAKER_01]: Commit to the setting your heart, setting your mind on things above.

[SPEAKER_01]: And it's hard to do that if you're living in sin.

[SPEAKER_01]: Right, so I would say it's impossible to do that.

[SPEAKER_01]: If you're living in sin, it's impossible to do that if you're concerned about worldly comforts,

[SPEAKER_01]: and it's hard to do that if you're seeking false spirituality, give your life church, give your life to the kingdom of God.

[SPEAKER_01]: Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and God will add all the other things to you as well.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's what Jesus said.

[SPEAKER_01]: I want us as a church.

[SPEAKER_01]: I want to be this.

[SPEAKER_01]: And so I want to, look, I'm in the light right now.

[SPEAKER_01]: So this is on me.

[SPEAKER_01]: I want to be sold out for the glory of God, and the good of people for our community.

[SPEAKER_01]: I want to be sold out.

[SPEAKER_01]: I want to be weird.

[SPEAKER_01]: I mean that.

[SPEAKER_01]: I want to be like the rest of the world.

[SPEAKER_01]: set in her minds on things of this earth and listen, I'll be honest, I see this, I see a passion and a zeal for these kinds of things.

[SPEAKER_01]: I see this kind of mindset most often, and I speak as one who's in the middle, so I see it most often in young adults and senior adults.

[SPEAKER_01]: I see the zeal for these things most often in younger adults and senior adults.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's kind of the 30s, 40s, 50s of us.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm just being real.

[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's easier for us to just live in

[SPEAKER_01]: a little bit.

[SPEAKER_01]: So, particularly, I'm challenging those in kind of my area of life, too, because that's how I feel at times.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's easier because we have more of the resources that we didn't have when we were younger, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: But we're not to the part of our life where we start to think about the end of things, right?

[SPEAKER_01]: We kind of had this arrogance about us like, I got time and I got resources.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'll just use it on me for now.

[SPEAKER_01]: And then later I'll get serious about her.

[SPEAKER_01]: I was serious about her when I was 19.

[SPEAKER_01]: That's why all the missions, people I just read y'all, they're all young adults.

[SPEAKER_01]: All right.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'll get serious about it then, even though I don't even have the resources but I got the zeal.

[SPEAKER_01]: Or maybe when I'm older and I got the resources and I can use them for the kingdom.

[SPEAKER_01]: But right there in the middle is like, man, I just want to live comfortable and I want to live safe and I want to live selfish.

[SPEAKER_01]: If I'm being honest, I feel this way.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm just preaching to myself right now.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm just a leolar audience to it.

[SPEAKER_01]: But man, what if,

[SPEAKER_01]: all of us in every season of life that we're in.

[SPEAKER_01]: I don't care where you are in your life.

[SPEAKER_01]: And what if we just refuse to live our lives comfortable with the things of this earth?

[SPEAKER_01]: And we just get okay with, you know, I'll be a little bit weird.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'll have a conversation with somebody about Jesus because he's at the right hand of God and what greater privilege is there in the world and it's talk to somebody about Him.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'll get serious about serving people and loving people and bearing fruit by the Holy Spirit and praying.

[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, my goodness, praying without ceasing over my life, my family, my friends, my enemies, my community, I'll pray.

[SPEAKER_01]: And I'll live my life in the Word of God.

[SPEAKER_01]: The Colossians also says, let the Word dwell in you richly that will live our lives here.

[SPEAKER_01]: And we will set our minds on things above.

[SPEAKER_01]: And so the day that we go and see him face to face, or he comes to us.

[SPEAKER_01]: So yeah, this is different than how I planned on ending this message to for it.

[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe an opportunity for all of us and myself included.

[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm asking for your prayer for me and accountability for me.

[SPEAKER_01]: For all of us, can we just get serious about doing this?

[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, really think about what in your life are you clinging to?

[SPEAKER_01]: That's just earthly.

[SPEAKER_01]: It's gonna get burned up anyway.

[SPEAKER_01]: Can we set our minds on things above?

[SPEAKER_01]: We're Christ to seated at the right hand of God.

[SPEAKER_01]: I want to do that.

[SPEAKER_01]: I want us to do that.

[SPEAKER_01]: And I believe if we do that, we will see what I said at the beginning, that the brink of revival and awakening, that man, why can't it happen in Newton County?

[SPEAKER_01]: Why can't it happen all around us in our community?

[SPEAKER_01]: It can, and it will.

[SPEAKER_01]: The gospel does prevail, and it will prevail if we get serious.

[SPEAKER_01]: So my encouragement to you this week is just think about those things, really ponder those things, write them down in a journal, think about pray through God, what am I living, what am I setting my mind on that's just earthly and how can I better set my mind on things above?

[SPEAKER_01]: So that I would live for your glory everywhere that I go and everything that I do.

[SPEAKER_01]: Um, so as we dismiss, I'm going to pray for us here in a minute.

[SPEAKER_01]: There's a prayer room right here.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'd love to talk with you and pray with you over there.

[SPEAKER_01]: Um, or I'll be right here.

[SPEAKER_01]: We'll have somebody praying with folks over there.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'll be right here if you want to have any conversation.

[SPEAKER_01]: But I'm praying for you guys this week.

[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm praying for us as a church, um, to be this church.

[SPEAKER_01]: So as you all leave, go check out the mission tables, um, and man.

[SPEAKER_01]: Let's just stay and prayer.

[SPEAKER_01]: Seek in the Lord and the things above.

[SPEAKER_01]: Father, thank you.

[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for your word to us this morning.

[SPEAKER_01]: This convicting is convicting to me.

[SPEAKER_01]: God, don't let, please, don't let us walk out of here, thinking that's a good service today.

[SPEAKER_01]: Let us walk out of here and let me walk out of here, God, all of us thinking God, I'm so tired of running on a hamster will.

[SPEAKER_01]: I'm tired of doing the treadmill thing.

[SPEAKER_01]: I want to go and I want to be sold out and I want to die for your glory.

[SPEAKER_01]: I really do.

[SPEAKER_01]: show me, help me strengthen, make me wisdom, grace and peace to go everywhere you send me to go.

[SPEAKER_01]: To be everything you call me to be.

[SPEAKER_01]: For the glory of your name and the good of others.

[SPEAKER_01]: We thank you, Lord, and we trust that you have this plan and this purpose for us, and you are not leaving us alone to do this by ourselves.

[SPEAKER_01]: You have given us your spirit, then you have surrounded us with your people, strengthening us by your word, and giving us the beautiful gift of prayer, and so let us go in all those ways this week.

[SPEAKER_01]: And let us set our minds and our hearts on Christ.

[SPEAKER_01]: We love you, Lord, in Jesus' name.

[SPEAKER_01]: Amen.