Colossians Chapter 3 "Seek Things Above"

We often see this term said when there's a car accident, when

someone does something wrong, we go, what were you thinking?

What were you thinking? What's the title of this

morning's message? What are you thinking?

Paul has spent the last two chapters, Chapter 1 and Chapter

2 of the letter to the church in Colossae, modern day Turkey

today, laying out the important doctrine of the preeminence of

Jesus Christ. He's been combating the

Gnostics, modern day Jehovah Witnesses.

He's been combating the the legalists.

That is the Judeo Isis who said, well, to be a Christian, yeah,

that's Jesus is good. But you got to you got to live

the Sabbath floor. You can't eat this.

You can't eat that. It wasn't for snack pack.

A kid would starve. That was just something else.

The law. Jesus nailed all those things to

the cross. We read about that put him out

the road. The law had a job.

The Lord's job was to show us we needed a saviour.

And we can't live by rules and regulations yet.

You know, you and I, we grow up and, or I grew up in Australia

where we thought church was about do's and don'ts.

You know, don't do this and don't do that.

Don't swear, you know, don't dress terrible, dress up, dress

up on a Sunday, do the right thing.

The do's and don'ts. That's what Christianity was to

most of us. But that's the law.

Jesus came to change all that to have grace.

Paul said we need nothing more. You don't need a Pope.

God bless him, pray for his salvation.

Bible says we are complete in Christ.

The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.

I have everything. And how?

Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God.

He's not a God as the Gnostics of Jehovah Witnesses would say.

He is the God. He is God in the flesh fully.

God is the very image of the invisible God, you and I, We

want to know what is God like? What does he look like?

Well, you know, what is he? Because God's a spirit.

Jesus said that to the woman at the well in John chapter 4.

John 4 · chapter mention

And Jesus says the one you're talking about, I'm, I'm he,

you're the Messiah. Yes.

Now Paul gets down to the practicalities chapter 3 and 4

of how our Christian walk. Now we know this stuff is to be

lived out in our lives. The problem with many Christians

today or church attenders is they don't know chapters 1 and

2. They don't know Romans chapter

one through to seven. So they have no understanding of

Romans chapter 8. There is therefore now no

Romans 8 · chapter mention

condemnation and they don't know how to live as a Christian.

They just live like everybody else.

They think, well you know me and God, we're tight.

He knows me, I know him. No, he doesn't know you.

There's only one way to know God.

Jesus Christ says I am the way, the truth and the life.

No man comes to the Father but by me.

How to live the Christian life. Good question, what it should

look like. I recommend to you if you ever

really want to know, I'm not sure if someone is a Christian

or not. They say that read 1 John. 1

John will tell you this is what a Christian looks like.

If you're Italian, it's little Giovanni 1 John after all.

It does little good. It is of no benefit if

Christians talk about who Christ is, if we defend his truth but

fail to demonstrate, manifest him in our lives.

When your life does not back your declaration of truth, what

you say, what you believe, the show is over.

And that's the problem with a generation of kids that goes to

church with mum and dad, because mum and dad kind of go to

church. They're kind of, they do it out

of like, yeah, well, to be, to be, OK, but they're not

reflecting it in how they live. And so the kids get to the age

and go oh I'm a gun anymore, didn't make any difference to my

dad. Hasn't changed my dad and mum's

marriage so why should I bother? Your witness is extinct.

It all comes crashing down if what you say isn't lived out and

how you live. Parents, mums and dads, you hear

today your kids are watching. I have a finger on a switch

where the yes, I'm going to go this way because mom and dad

really do love God and I see how God works in their life or no,

it's just, it's just the game and they'll flip the switch

themselves. Paul wrote to Titus about this.

He says in the last days there would be people who profess to

know God, but in works they will deny him.

In the way that they live, they'll deny him being

abominable. That's not being a snowman

disobedient. They don't do what the Bible

says and disqualified from every good work.

What they do is all for themselves.

They do nothing for God. The good works that you and I

do, Ephesians chapter 1, God created the good works for you

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

and I to do. So the good work that you do is

that which God has created you to do.

The question is, are you doing what you're doing or are you

doing the good works that God has created you to do?

The teaching of Christ, the precious message of the Gospel,

brought a whole new concept of life and worship in what was a

Pagan driven world at the time of Paul, Pagan worship was cut

and dry. If you worship the false God

like the Romans and many of throughout Europe, the Greeks,

it made no difference how you lived as long as you bowed down

to the God. You went to the God, bowed down

to the statue and then you brought your offerings in Bali.

You see, if you've ever been to Bali, you see around those stone

images, they have the the pat cash bandana around their their

heads. I don't always wondered about

that. They have umbrellas over them.

I was really tempted them first and only time I've been to Bali

to go up and put some zinc on some of the the stone idols.

But that would be not the right thing to do.

I probably would have been killed.

And they placed before them a bowl of oranges and fruit.

Nobody eats them because the stone image can't eat an orange.

But to the pagans, as long as you went there, bowed down, gave

you offering, and you can go back, do whatever you like.

Kill someone, rob, pillage, lie, deceive, be a thief, make no

difference. You can live as you please.

Christianity comes on and changes all this dramatically

and you become Christ like. And they called the followers of

Christ the way little Christ because they are reflecting the

life of Christ. That's what you and I are.

We're to reflect the life of Christ.

So as you read the gospels, that's the life that you should

be living, the life of Christ. You want to know how to live,

what to do. What would Jesus do in this

situation? Well, that's what you should do

in this situation. For a Christian, if we shared in

Christ's life, we must also follow his example.

The Holy Spirit cannot live in US and permit us to continue to

live in sin, to be habitually practising sin.

Let's read chapter 3, verse one. If then, and that is in the

Greek since then you were past tense raised with Christ.

OK, since you were raised with Christ, we're buried with Him.

Now we're raised with Him. Everyone got that.

Now it tells you what to do. The practical part, seek those

things which are above where Christ is and he gives a little

bit more information. There He is sitting at the right

hand of God. We'll explain why Paul writes

that and tells that. Then here's the second.

It's a two point sermon this morning.

Seek those things. Then verse 2, set your mind so

it takes brains. Christians don't come to church

and check out their brains at the foyer and then collect them

as they go out again. Christianity makes you think

sanely, wisely set your mind of things above.

OK, here's the opposite. Not on things on the earth.

We'll look at what those what, what are the things he he goes

back for you died. Remember Jesus died.

We reckon ourselves dead when Christ died on the cross and

your life is hidden with Christ in God.

There was this unique energy of God, work of God.

We looked at that on Wednesday night where God connected us to

his Son. If by faith we believe that

Jesus died for us and therefore we died, our old self is dead.

And then when Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, we,

by the power of God and by God's word are seen in God to have

risen with a new life in Christ. We've changed.

When now verse 4, Notice this. So when Christ, who is our life,

That's what. So I don't know.

You know, I've been trying to find out who I am and where I,

what I am. OK, it's here.

Christ, who is our life. That's your life, that's your

identity. You don't have to go to India

and sit at the feet of some guru to find out.

I'm just trying to find out who I am.

You're going to look, first of all, you're going to look at

your driver's licence. That'll tell you who you are.

But when Christ, who is our life appears, this is the second

coming. Then you also will appear.

Notice with Him in glory, you come back with Him, the second

coming. Jude chapter one, verse 14.

Behold, the Lord comes with 10 thousands of his Saints.

Now I don't like horses. I grew up with horses.

I hate horses. The some of you are horse

lovers. Good, awesome.

But here's something that I'm going to have to cope with.

But God will change me and he has changed me.

I will come back on a horse. God has his way and you, we'll

be on a horse as well. It's quite amazing.

We're going to, when we finish Colossians, I'm going to go

through the Book of Revelation again on the Sunday morning in a

different way. The Lord comes with 10

thousands. We Saints, the second coming of

Christ, the rapture. We're taken up to be with him,

meet him in the air. The second coming.

Seven years later, we come back with him.

Christ puts his feet on the Mount of Olives.

The mountain splits and he sets up his rule and reign in

Jerusalem for 1000 years. My question to you this morning

is what are you thinking? What are you thinking not just

this morning, but what is it that occupies your mind day in

and day out? Remember the old saying a penny

for your thoughts? Throughout the gospels we find

Jesus often revealing to those around him, listening to him

what they were thinking. He knew what was on their mind

and in their hearts. Remember, the guys lowered their

friend down through the roof. They pull the roof apart and

they lower their mate down. Jesus forgives the guy on the

floor, and the guys are sitting around the Ferris of the gun

man. Only God, what's going on here?

Jesus then tells, which is easier.

He knows their thoughts. He knows their heart.

Remember, Jesus says at dinner at someone's house, he's an

invited guest. A woman comes in, she weeps over

his feet, washes and drives the tears with her hair.

And the the guy sitting there, he's thinking, man, if he knew

what sort of woman this was, he, he wouldn't allow her to touch

her. And then Jesus talks about Simon

and he tells the story of the dead who loves much, is forgiven

much. He knows what you're thinking

when Jesus died on the cross at Calvary, He died for our sin,

but he also, as Paul has taught us, Christ broke and you need to

hear this and you need to live this.

He broke the power of sin over our lives once and for all.

We have changed who we are. We died on the cross.

How old me dead, the new me rose.

We've changed who we are, how we live now, how I speak now, and

what I think now is different to what I was before I came to

Christ. The question is, can we see

this? Can I see this in your life?

Can you see this in my life now we have victory over our old sin

nature. Before we just went along with

it. We were puppets.

Ephesians chapter 2. We were children of the devil.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

He just pulled the strings and we danced and did what he wanted

us to do. We were Pinocchio and our old

nature wanted to control us. In Romans chapter 6 verse 2,

Romans 6:2

Paul says since we have died and we have, how can we continue to

live in it? A guy came to this crusade that

was happening and each night as the minister called for those

who want to come to know Christ, he would come forward and said,

oh please pray for me for the web of sin upon my life.

The web of sin is upon my life. Each night he come out please

pray for the web of sin and all my life.

And then some old Sinner, sorry, A St said in the church on the

final night of the crusade. Kill the spider.

Since we have died, how can we continue to live in it?

Now, if I hop in a car or a man hops in a car and he drives off

and he speeds and he goes through all the red lights and

he's doing 170 kilometres an hour and he's just flogging on

down the road. And then the police go after him

with the sirens, and the police pursuit occurs.

And then he drives off. And he's, you know, endangering

people, crashing, and he keeps driving and he smacks into a

tree, and he's dead. The police don't come up to him

and go, right? And they seem slumped over.

He's dead as a doornail, Right. There's a ticket for speeding,

for running away. Now, have you got anything to

say about that? No.

No, because he's dead. Can't do any more.

You see our old me, the old me is dead, Paul says in verse 1 of

chapter 3. If then you were raised with

Christ, word is since you were raised with Christ.

Here's the first point of the two point sermon.

Seek those things which are above.

We have been raised together with Christ.

We now have a new life. Change has come or has it in 2

Corinthians 517 my first memory verses as a Christian was this.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ is a new creation.

All things have passed away. Behold all things have become

new. In Galatians chapter 2 verse 20,

Galatians 2:20

Paul said I have been crucified with Christ.

Now was he physically no, but according to God and according

to the gospel he has he identified.

So was you and I no longer live Paul?

Saul changed to Paul literally, didn't he?

But Christ lives in me, the life I now live in the body I live

how? By faith in the Son of God.

Paul says I believe in the Son of God, one who love me.

This is why I believe because Christ loves me and gave himself

for me and This is why I live. I give my life to Christ because

he gave his life to me. Three things there I live by

faith in the Son of God. I believe who loved me.

Why I believe because he loves me and he gave himself for me.

Now I give myself for him. Is that what you're to do?

Bible says on Romans chapter 12 verse one.

Romans 12 · chapter mention

That's your task now, brothers, I beseech you that you present

your bodies as what living what sacrifices.

You know what that means? Not doing what you want to do.

It's living, but now doing what He wants you to do.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a

new person. The old life is gone.

A new life has begun. It's the actually the picture of

baptism, water baptism and water baptism is actually when we go

there to the beach and we have, you know, the Baptist and we

lower people in the water. You know what it is?

It's a picture of a funeral. It's actually where, hey

everybody, we're going to have a funeral service.

That's the old you, dead and buried, gone when you walk out

of the water. You walk out in the newness of

life now living and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Romans chapter 6. Paul teaches us this morning to

Romans 6 · chapter mention

do 2 things now because we have changed one.

Seek those things which are above 2.

Set your mind, use your brains on things above, not on things

on the earth. Seek and set, but what are the

things above. Fix your eyes not on what is

seen, but on what is unseen for what is eternal.

In other words, when you look at the world now, you see it

differently through different eyes.

Now that you're born again, you see the world now through new

eyes. Before you just looked at it and

it was all about you. Now you look out through the

eyes that have been changed by God because they're a new person

and it's not about you at all, is it Actually, there's nothing

about you isn't because there's nothing good about you, is

there? Romans Chapter 7 in me, Paul

Romans 7 · chapter mention

says dwells no good thing. So finally I'm starting to get

it, get it right. The moment I stop thinking about

myself and looking at my life, my my rights and my ways, it's

clicked and now I'm starting to live with Christ.

And that's the path to joy, happiness and peace.

We are to live for heaven. Oh, you mean like like be Spacey

and just talk about heaven all the time?

You know, be no earthly good? No, that's a wrong saying.

I mean that saying is actually correct.

You will enjoy life. How is that?

Because you're not thinking about yourself.

You know what makes you upset? When people pull out and you're

in a hurry? When people are in your way.

When you didn't get the job and you wanted it.

When something goes against your way.

Against what you what? I well, and I look, it's, I

shouldn't, it should have happened to me.

And well, why is he and why is she and, and, and we're upset

about things because they're not going our way.

How was your day? It was terrible.

This happened to me and that happened to me and and then this

happened to me. Nothing's going your way.

That's why the world is unhappy, because the world lives for

itself. You know what?

Nothing's going to go their way, although the world is trying to

help, isn't it? You know, kids at school now,

everyone gets a medal. I come 37th.

We don't do scores anymore because we don't want to, you

know, upset the kids. And the kids know who won.

They keep the score. They're not dull.

They know what's going on. But the world will always be

unhappy because the world wants it their way, my way.

We are to seek Christ, seek him and to know these are the things

that we're to focus on in heaven.

We have to know, and Paul gives us the details of what we're to

know that he is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Why is that written there? Why does Paul say seek the

things of God and then he talks about Jesus Christ?

See him seated at the right hand of the Father?

Because when did Jesus take his seat at the right hand of the

Father? After he was crucified, 3 days

later he rose from the dead, he ascended into heaven and he sat

down at the right hand of the Father.

He's our high priest. Go back to the Old Testament.

In the Old Testament, when the priest worked in the Tabernacle,

no seats in the Tabernacle. You know why their job was never

finished? Sacrifice up the sacrifice next

year, sacrifice next week. Set it up, do it again, do it

again. Yom Kippur comes around, we do

it again, we do it again. No seats that they're always

walking around. But Jesus, our high priest, the

book of Hebrews says sat down at the right hand of the Father.

Why? It's done.

Your salvation and way and reconciliation with God is

complete. It's finished, it's done.

You don't have to do anything. He did it all, so he sat down.

Isn't that good? Jesus said on the cross it is

finished, started back in the book of Genesis.

Like the wise men from the East, they came seeking Christ.

Are you seeking Christ in your thinking?

You remember Saul, his eyes before he found Christ, were

focused on getting these followers of the Rabbi Jesus,

killing them and putting them in gaol.

Then he meets the Lord on the road to Damascus.

He's knocked off his donkey, falls on this blinding light,

and for three days he can't see. He is blind.

And the Lord sends this guy Ananias.

Go and pray with him. And as Ananias prays for him in

Acts Chapter 9, verse 17 to 18, it tells us and scales, like

Acts 9:17–18

scales fell off Paul's eyes, who is now Paul.

And now he could see the world differently.

It's like me. I was never into flowers.

I mean, if you said you're into flowers at Beaky school where I

went, you got a flogging. Hi guys, I'm into flowers.

Not in the flowers now, not not in the flowers anymore.

And you know, Helen plants roses at the front and I go out and I

see these roses and I'm mesmerised by their colour and

the intricacy of a rose. It's God's design.

It's God's artwork. I see people struggling.

There's a footballer that is a recent footballer of this week.

I wrote in the bulletin about it.

He's the second of a twin. He's the twin brother.

Three months ago his brother committed suicide.

Now he's committed suicide in the one family.

Heartbreaking and I heard the coach of the Collingwood

Football Club say this and and I and he said, you know, there's

no book written on this stuff. Actually there is.

This book is for the heartbroken.

This book contains the saviour for someone who's thinking of

taking their life. This book holds the message of

life. Jesus has come to give us life.

He says I am the way, the truth and the life and the life that I

give you. How long is it?

It's eternal. It's forever and church.

You and I have a task. We're living in dark days.

People around you, some of you here today and I rode in the

bulletin have been affected by suicide and families.

You and I have a salt. How salty are you?

And I don't mean you're a bitter person.

I mean, are you out there? How, how how well lit are you?

What's the light that's emitting?

Is it something that you when when you come along, people go,

Oh yes. Would you pray?

I don't know how to pray. Are you light?

Are you salt? Because our world is in need of

you. All of you sitting here today,

when you go out, guess what? You're desperately in need.

There's a mission out there, mission field.

There are people who are thinking of ending their lives

who don't know where to turn to. The pain is so great and the

devil is so wicked and you and I have the answer.

The answer is Jesus Christ. The answer is Jesus Christ.

You see, we are new people enjoying a hidden life with

Christ. Here's our life now.

The reason I live is for Christ. Paul is not saying think about

heaven all day. So you know how to live when you

get there. No, rather He is telling us take

a good look at heaven's perspective on every issue, and

so you will know how to live on earth to Corinthians 417 for our

light afflictions, which is but for a moment is working for us a

far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

And I've learnt this in my own life through difficult times.

King David was the one who taught me.

This was the strength of King David.

His mind was set on God Almighty, always in the heavens.

That's why he wrote the Psalms. He was a man who had a mind

after and a heart after God. And I look at David.

I call it the David perspective. Paul calls it the heaven

perspective. That means your problem, your

situation. Take a step back and compare it

to heaven. Get the heavenly view because

your view when you're down in the in the, in the gulleys and

the gutters looking at it, it can look just nothing but

terrible. But when you go back and get

God's view on the situation, oh man, it's a far different view.

You see, Paul was not saying think of the physical things of

heaven. Oh, when I get there, I want to

see what the roads are like and you know, you know what the

gates are like and you know, no, but rather the seeking has to do

with Christ's sovereignty. Because as I get to heavenly

view, I see even though I'm in intensive care unit here and

there's things are desperate even now I've got these things

going on in my life. Here's what I see in heaven.

Jesus Christ is on the is still on the throne.

He's in charge, He's in control. It changes me in my situation.

His glory fills the universe and He fills it with His power.

He is the almighty God. He's in charge, and He's in

charge all the time. The things in heaven, His

character, His presence, His heavenly joy.

So we've had seek. First point now set.

Set as a verb in the present tense, telling us that this is a

continuous, ongoing effort and action on our behalf to seek and

keep on seeking. How do we do this?

By prayer. We got to go back to prayer and

I'm going to tell you, this is our weakness.

This is this church's weakness. This is our individual life's

weakness. Because many of you I know don't

pray. You don't pray because you don't

believe it, you don't think it works, you don't have time for

it. And the devil just goes awesome.

Your greatest weapon, you leave in the shed, The greatest power

that you have, you don't use it. And I can just smash you in the

marriage, smash you in your relationships with your kids,

smash you with all your problems because you're not, you're not.

You're not a praying person. God doesn't even get involved.

You don't ask him. You have not because you ask

not, James says, but by prayer. Christ says we ask, we seek, and

we knock for the things above. Matthew 77, Jesus said this.

Keep on asking and you'll receive what you ask for.

Keep on seeking and you will find what you're looking for.

Keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you.

Why? Because Christ will guide your

life this way as you set your mind on God.

What am I to do? Help me, guide me and you do it

continuously. Set your mind on things above,

not on things on the earth. But sadly we have become a

people today whose thinking is totally consumed by our things

in life, things to be consumed on us and our own personal

selfishness. Many Australians today think

that their things are their life.

Well, I'm happy. Why?

I've got my house, I've got this, I've got my car, I've got

this. Oh, I'm set.

No, set your mind of the things above.

We spend money now not for need. We send them.

Spend money for identity. You have a pair of shoes?

Yeah, but these ones, these new ones, I got a pair of shoes.

But these new ones, you got 20 pairs of shoes.

Yeah, but these new ones, that's what everyone's wearing.

It's my identity. Check out my new shoes.

And you and I, we we value this in other people's lives.

Saw Bill the other day At where? How's Bill going?

Bill's going really good. Did we say Bill's happy in

marriage, he's going to church and his kids love the Lord?

No, we got Bill was driving this car and he was wearing one of

those and he's watch. It was one of those watches.

Bill's doing really good. We do it.

Matthew 619. Jesus said.

Jesus said these words, Don't store up treasures here on earth

when moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves

break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven

where moths and rust cannot destroy and thieves do not break

in and steal. Here's them here, and here's

them now. Wherever your treasure is, there

the desires of your heart will also be.

This is why people can be decimated.

Well, look what happened to my house.

It burnt down. Look what happened to my car.

It's wiped out. Oh, my job.

They've laid us all off, decimated.

Paul is teaching us how to think as Christians, how to live as

believers, how to live as disciples of Christ, to not set

our minds on earthly things, not just material possessions, not

all, but also the immaterial things of the world, like what

earthly honours, position, advancement, fame.

Paul is not saying we hive off into some monk like existence,

live like the Amish in a commune somewhere in the Bush.

Otherwise there would be no Christian doctors, Christian

lawyers or Christian nurses and teachers, no excellence.

Now the difference is this. The Christian no longer sees

these things as if they are all that matter.

I've achieved. You know what happens often when

you get to achieve? There's nothing after that.

How many elite athletes, people, wealthy, get to achieve the

pinnacle? And you know what?

It hasn't satisfied yet. They've worked all their life

together. Christine Onassis 2 weeks prior

to her committing suicide. Onassis, He was the most wealthy

shipping magnate in the world. She said this.

If you think wealth and fame brings happiness, look at my

life. Our mind is set to be dominated

by the things above. Proverbs 35.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Lean not on your own understanding in all your ways.

Acknowledging. Acknowledge Him and He shall

direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes.

Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

It will be health to your flesh. Result strength to your bones.

Verse 9. Honour the Lord with your

possessions and with the first fruits of your increase.

So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will

overflow with new wine. So you're planning to move

house. Question is, how will this

affect your family's worship life?

Oh yeah, but we've always wanted to live here.

Oh OK. Is that the before Christ?

And is that still the after Christ person?

Where does Christ want you to live now?

See, it changes. You're changing employment.

Oh, I've got this new job. I'm looking to get this new job.

What impact will that new job have on your work, your walk

with the Lord, and you serve in Christ?

Well, I won't be able to serve Him like I did before.

Interesting. So is that what you want or is

this what Christ wants? Are you gifted?

Ah man, you're talented. Singing, playing music or

something else. How are you using God's gift for

His glory? Eric Little born January 1619 O2

died February 21, 1945 in China. Born in China Died in China A

British Scottish runner who won a gold medal.

Chariots of Fire was the movie made about him in the 400 metres

and the bronze and the 200 metres in the 1924 Olympic Games

in Paris. Represented Scotland as a rugby

winger. A year after the Olympic Games,

Little returned to China to do missionary work with his father.

He died of a brain tumour while interred in a Japanese camp

during World War Two, he said. When I run, I please the Lord.

That's why he ran. He didn't run for Scotland.

He didn't run for Eric Little. He ran to please the Lord.

It's different. His last words recorded before

he died. Complete surrender.

Complete surrender. You're planning a marriage.

Oh, good. Nice.

Is this God's design? Will this person enhance your

relationship with God? Will they have the same passion

to serve Christ as you have? Pastor Tom Whitaker, who I think

is best pastor I've ever known, served under.

He had a couple coming to his church and they're planning to

get married, both Christians, and said, I don't think you

should go ahead with your marriage.

Oh, why is that? Because 1 was just robust and

full on for the Lord, and the other was just, yeah, well, you

know, see God then and I'll be. It wasn't going to work.

Both believers, you see, it's important.

Paul's language here in this command is precise.

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Keep your mind set in that way. It also has the idea of

concentration. In these two vital verses we see

the the great divide in the Christian life.

What is that for? What we set our minds on

determines our seeking, and this is the direction of our

Christian life. What you set your mind on

determines the direction of your life.

Question is, what do you think about when you have nothing else

to do? You know, when you're just by

yourself, what do you think about?

What comes to your mind? Yes, we might Daydream.

You might simply doze off or drift off.

Pressure from work consumes our thinking at times.

But all these aside, does your mind regularly go up to Christ

and things above? If it doesn't, we're in trouble.

The Bible says Luke 1234 For where your treasure is, there

your heart will be also. What will the divine postmortem

mean? I don't know if you you know

what a postmortem is. I had to go there regularly with

police. Postmortem is they get the body

laid it out and every cause of death.

Unless the doctor signs off, this is the cause of death for

this situation and they say he died or she died because of

this, then everyone has to have a postmortem and they operate on

the person because they want to identify the cause of death.

What actually causes? Was it the heart, the lungs, the

liver or, or, or was there some suspicious thing that's been

covered up? You know, even when they cut

someone down or come across the homicide, sorry a suicide, they

will still do a postmortem. When there's a car crash,

they'll do a postmortem. Why?

Because when I did the person die before they hit the tree

was, was something happened? And also out of the postmortem,

the medical staff get information on the family's DNA.

Did you know that in your family, there's this, this, this

is, this is what we found and it's going to be through your

family. You need to investigate this.

This is what happens with the DNA and a post mortem.

But what about a divine post mortem?

What will reveal when God looks at your life after your death?

The time that you've lived here on the planet, the time that

he's given you to live here on Earth?

We open up and there will be, ah, there's our career.

That was it, Our home in bricks and mortar.

Oh, he loved his house. Surfing, man.

And all I find is just surf, Surf stuff everywhere.

Well, the latest dress and clothing fashions.

Or will he find Christ embedded in US?

Can you help me here? I don't want my mind, my

thinking to be on worthless treasures of the earth.

How do I make sure my seeking and my thinking are godly then?

And what Paul is teaching us, how do I do that?

The right mindset, how does it begin?

It begins with here. It is prayer.

Jesus said if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you

will ask. That's praying what you desire

and it shall be done for you. You have not because you have

not asked for it. And what you've been asking for

has been to consume upon yourself.

It's not what I want you to ask me for.

Lord set my mind on things above King Solomon.

You know King Solomon comes to the throne.

David's son. God has told David, Solomon is

the man to take over from you, David.

And on the night God appeared to Solomon said to him, Ask what

I'll give to you. Solomon said to God, You have

shown great mercy to my father David.

It made me king in his place. Now give me wisdom and knowledge

that I may go out and come in before this people.

For who can judge this great people of yours?

Then God said to Solomon, because this was in your heart,

and you've not asked riches or wealth or honour, or the life of

your enemies or long life, but I've asked for wisdom and

knowledge for yourself, that you may judge my people over whom I

have made you king. Wisdom and knowledge I give to

you, and I'll give you riches and wealth and honour, such as

of the kings have no other king has had ever before you, or will

have after you. Interesting.

This is a deliberate action. What you set your mind on is a

deliberate action by you. Our mindset on the things above

is a deliberate act of our will. It's a choice.

It's you choosing. We even say it to our families

and friends. Don't you?

I got my mindset on what? I got my mindset on this.

Don't we set our minds on that special holiday?

Don't we set our minds on buying that car, that pair of shoes?

Men, we set our minds on that camping and fishing trip, surf

trip. We set our minds on that big

special project around the house.

Man, I'm going to do this, finish it off.

We can set our minds on things above.

It's a choice. But this requires something else

to achieve this. And that means you need to have

a loose grip, a loose hold on the things below.

That is your positions. A rich young ruler came to

Jesus. You know the story.

He said, I've done this, I've done this, and I want to follow.

You could teach you what? What do I need to do to inherit

eternal life? He's Jesus said, you know, don't

do this. Don't do that.

Yeah, I've done all that, man. Yeah.

And Jesus said you still lack one thing.

Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor and

you'll have treasure in heaven. Come follow me.

When the young man heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he

was very rich. When Jesus saw that, he became

very sorrowful. Jesus said how hard it is for

those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God.

For it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle

than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.

You see the truth of the story, Morgan, man, that poor young

man, silly young man, is that each one of us?

Is that rich young rule. How's that?

You know where Australia is ranked in the world wealth.

At the moment we're ranked second in the world when it

comes to median wealth per adult second, well ahead of the likes

of Switzerland, the UK and the US.

On an average wealth per adult basis, Australia ranks 5th.

So we're the 5th wealthiest people in the world, the second

wealthiest people in the world. You see, because of our

possessions, it is difficult to set our minds on things above.

You can hold on to things two ways with a clenched fist, like

that selfish top child with a toy clutched in their hand,

shouting in defiance to anyone else.

It's mine, it's mine, it's mine even though they didn't want it.

Or we can have an open hand. A good habit to get into is to

learn to give something away regularly that you value.

Was the last time you gave something away that you value to

somebody? Or are you always on the take?

Lastly, if you remember and memorise God's word, His

Scripture that has to do with heavenly mindset, just like

we've studied here this morning. Christ's blessing will be your

desire and His glory. You're living and no one will be

able to rob you of it. You'll be filled with joy

unspeakable. Let us this morning right now

covenant to fix our minds on things above the whole God's

word close to our heart and not fix our thoughts on the material

and the immaterial things of the world.

When they lay you in the casket, and I've seen a lot of people in

caskets. You notice there's nothing else

in the casket but them nothing else in the casket with them And

their hands are what empty. You know, they sew up the

pockets on on suits they used to put on the old to bury people

because I'm not going to go where's where's my hanky?

Where's my loose change? Job said.

I came out of naked. I came out of my mother's womb

and naked. Shall I return?

The Lord gave and the Lord is taken away.

Blessed be the name of the Lord. You and I have a job to do.

We have a world that's waiting for light and for salt.

We have a world that knows not of Jesus Christ.

And you have the answer. Set your mind on the things

above. Seek the things above.

The choice is yours.