1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:06,480 well today is the last message in the series that we’ve called the inside story of your future life 2 00:00:07,280 –> 00:00:13,360 many of you have commented or have written notes to say that you have found this series to be 3 00:00:13,360 –> 00:00:20,400 helpful i have to tell you it has been a blessing in my own soul just to spend this time thinking 4 00:00:20,400 –> 00:00:26,160 about future life and trying to fill my mind and heart with these marvelous marvelous truths from 5 00:00:26,160 –> 00:00:33,200 the Bible what we’ve been doing is over these last weeks is being intentional about setting 6 00:00:33,200 –> 00:00:37,919 our minds on the things that are above that’s what we’ve done we’ve thought about heaven 7 00:00:38,639 –> 00:00:43,759 we have filled our minds with what it will mean to be with Jesus Christ and why that is better by 8 00:00:43,759 –> 00:00:48,240 far and many of us have found over these weeks that this has been good for our souls that it 9 00:00:48,240 –> 00:00:54,080 has nourished us that it has lifted us in some way and that it has been helpful to us and so 10 00:00:54,080 –> 00:00:58,799 as we come to the end of the series i think the question before us today is how can i now 11 00:00:59,680 –> 00:01:05,120 keep my mind on the things that are above so that this is not simply a series of sermons but 12 00:01:05,120 –> 00:01:11,919 but that something is built into our lives on an ongoing basis in regard to these things how 13 00:01:11,919 –> 00:01:19,440 can you continue to nourish your own soul with the hope and with the joy of your future life 14 00:01:19,680 –> 00:01:28,160 Jesus Christ now we’ve all heard the cheap shot that you know people who are heavenly minded 15 00:01:28,160 –> 00:01:35,680 are no earthly use everyone’s heard that right precisely the opposite is true precisely the 16 00:01:35,680 –> 00:01:41,360 opposite is true only when you know the things that are to come only when your mind is fixed 17 00:01:41,540 –> 00:01:50,160 heaven do you know how to live on earth see if I was to say to you today prepare 18 00:01:50,720 –> 00:01:56,480 you would say well that’s a meaningless statement prepare for what prepare for snow prepare for exam 19 00:01:56,480 –> 00:02:00,000 prepare for guess I mean what does that mean how can I prepare if you don’t tell me what to 20 00:02:00,000 –> 00:02:05,839 prepare for it’s meaningless to say prepare you have to know what lies ahead in order to know 21 00:02:05,839 –> 00:02:13,119 how you are to live now in order to prepare for it and it is only when you set your mind on 22 00:02:13,119 –> 00:02:19,199 heaven that you will know how to live on earth it will only be when you know what is coming that you 23 00:02:19,199 –> 00:02:25,600 know how to live your life this week and so today we have this very simple text from Colossians in 24 00:02:25,600 –> 00:02:33,600 chapter 3 and verse 2 set your minds on things that are above it’s a special text for me 25 00:02:33,600 –> 00:02:40,720 personally this was the motto text of the school where I studied theology in London those years 26 00:02:40,720 –> 00:02:49,600 ago. Ta anofroniti, set your minds on things above. So I hope you will have your bible open 27 00:02:49,600 –> 00:02:56,399 at Colossians in chapter 3 as we’re going to look today at why we would do that and how we can go 28 00:02:56,399 –> 00:03:02,639 about it. Now you notice that the Paul begins with the great theme of the resurrection that 29 00:03:02,639 –> 00:03:09,119 Christ has been raised. When Jesus died we saw that the death is the separation of the soul 30 00:03:09,119 –> 00:03:16,880 and the body. And when Jesus died his life left his body his body was laid in the tomb. In fact 31 00:03:16,880 –> 00:03:22,080 it had to be laid in the tomb by other people because there was no life in it. But here is the 32 00:03:22,080 –> 00:03:28,880 good news of the gospel on the third day the life of the son of God came into his body. And he rose 33 00:03:28,880 –> 00:03:34,960 and the body of Jesus was wonderfully changed. And what we read in verse one of Colossians 3 34 00:03:34,960 –> 00:03:40,080 is that if you are a Christian this is what has happened to you. The life of the son of God has 35 00:03:40,080 –> 00:03:46,240 come into your body you have been raised with Christ, verse one. Remember we saw earlier 36 00:03:46,240 –> 00:03:52,160 in this series that by nature we are all dead towards God. The bible says deaf towards the 37 00:03:52,160 –> 00:03:58,080 spirit we are like that corpse we’re not able to get up and live a life of faith and obedience to 38 00:03:58,080 –> 00:04:02,479 Jesus Christ. What has happened to make you a Christian then? Well the holy spirit has 39 00:04:02,479 –> 00:04:08,160 given you the kiss of life. He’s brought the life of the son of God to you. You have been 40 00:04:08,160 –> 00:04:13,839 raised with Jesus Christ and because you’re raised with Jesus Christ that’s why you are a new 41 00:04:13,839 –> 00:04:18,559 creation. If you’re a Christian you have new life in him and everything that Jesus accomplished 42 00:04:18,559 –> 00:04:24,160 at the cross now belongs to you. So you have forgiveness in him you have new life in him 43 00:04:24,160 –> 00:04:29,200 the holy spirit is given to you in him. You’re adopted into the loving family of God 44 00:04:29,200 –> 00:04:35,519 through him and heaven itself is yours because of him. Now since all of this is true if you really 45 00:04:35,519 –> 00:04:40,720 are a Christian what Paul says verse two is here’s what you must do in the light of this new life 46 00:04:41,279 –> 00:04:50,320 set your minds on things that are above. Now folks there really isn’t anything particularly 47 00:04:50,320 –> 00:04:57,440 difficult to understand here where we need help is in putting it into practice. How do I do this? 48 00:04:58,399 –> 00:05:03,519 So I want to attempt two things today. The first is to for us to see clearly the value 49 00:05:04,239 –> 00:05:10,000 of meditating on your future life, setting your mind on things that are above how it will change 50 00:05:10,000 –> 00:05:17,040 you if you do this and then secondly to offer some practical help on how you might go about it. 51 00:05:17,040 –> 00:05:23,679 Set your minds on things that are above. Well, let’s begin then with the value. 52 00:05:23,679 –> 00:05:28,480 What’s this going to do for you if you make this the pattern of your life? And three observations, 53 00:05:29,600 –> 00:05:36,239 the first is that meditating on your future life will change your view of money, 54 00:05:37,279 –> 00:05:43,279 in fact it will change your entire relationship to this material world and how you view it. 55 00:05:44,239 –> 00:05:49,920 And notice what he says here, set your mind on things above and not on earthly things. 56 00:05:49,920 –> 00:05:56,079 So there’s a contrast here, there’s a movement here of being weaned away from being consumed 57 00:05:56,079 –> 00:06:03,440 with life in this world as we set our minds on things above. And particularly I use the word 58 00:06:03,440 –> 00:06:10,320 money because it’s very striking whenever Jesus speaks about heaven, it’s not long until he says 59 00:06:10,320 –> 00:06:16,640 something particularly about money. These things come again and again, together. And thinking, 60 00:06:16,640 –> 00:06:23,279 for example, of Luke and Chapter 12, when Jesus was teaching and a man in the crowd asked a 61 00:06:23,279 –> 00:06:31,119 question, he said, Jesus, would you tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. 62 00:06:32,000 –> 00:06:36,880 So here’s one of these – it seems endless – family disputes over inheritance money. 63 00:06:37,519 –> 00:06:41,440 And one brother seems to have got perhaps or kept more than should have been his, 64 00:06:41,440 –> 00:06:44,079 and the other brother feels that he hasn’t got what was his right. 65 00:06:45,279 –> 00:06:50,000 And this man wants Jesus to intervene. Can you help me get my rights? 66 00:06:52,160 –> 00:06:57,040 And Jesus’ answer is fascinating. He says, Who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you? 67 00:06:58,320 –> 00:07:02,079 Fascinating. Jesus says, in effect, Luke, that’s not why I’m here. 68 00:07:03,040 –> 00:07:08,799 And then Jesus goes on to speak about why he is here. He said, Take care and be on your 69 00:07:08,799 –> 00:07:15,359 guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist of the abundance of his possessions. 70 00:07:16,640 –> 00:07:19,920 You cannot measure your life with what you have. That’s what Jesus is saying. 71 00:07:21,279 –> 00:07:25,920 Then he told a story about a man who had been blessed in his business. 72 00:07:26,480 –> 00:07:32,480 And this man had gathered a bumper crop from his fields and he had stored this crop into barns. 73 00:07:33,839 –> 00:07:37,279 Now, not so many of us are farmers here in the Northwest suburbs. 74 00:07:38,559 –> 00:07:44,959 How does this translate for us? Let me put it to you this way, this man had a healthy 401k. 75 00:07:47,279 –> 00:07:51,920 How much money do you need to retire? I don’t know. There’s the everlasting question, right? 76 00:07:52,000 –> 00:07:57,440 But this man was in a position where he could. He said, I’ve brought in this harvest and now I’m in 77 00:07:57,440 –> 00:08:03,440 a position where I’m able to pursue the life that I have long dreamed of. Now I can enjoy my 78 00:08:03,440 –> 00:08:07,760 retirement, that’s what he was saying, the man with the healthy 401k. So I like to call this 79 00:08:07,760 –> 00:08:13,040 parable the man who lived the American dream because this is the American dream, isn’t it? 80 00:08:14,000 –> 00:08:22,239 He worked hard, he saved really well, he was not profligate, really saved hard, disciplined, 81 00:08:22,880 –> 00:08:32,320 good planner. And now that he has achieved the summit of his working life, he has plans for how 82 00:08:32,320 –> 00:08:36,400 he will live the life that he has always wanted. Everything in his life has been leading towards 83 00:08:36,400 –> 00:08:42,000 this, to spend time with friends and to visit various places. And no doubt if you’ll forgive 84 00:08:42,000 –> 00:08:46,799 the cultural translation, to play on various golf courses and so forth and so on, this is the 85 00:08:46,799 –> 00:08:53,119 life that he’s always wanted. And he said, now I’ve got the 401k, I can do it. And there was 86 00:08:53,119 –> 00:09:02,159 one problem, he had not set his mind on things that are above. And on the very night where he 87 00:09:02,159 –> 00:09:10,960 was beginning to plan out what was going to happen from this point on, he died. And God said to him, 88 00:09:12,000 –> 00:09:21,119 you fool, you fool. Now, folks, all of us would like to think that when we arrive in the presence 89 00:09:21,119 –> 00:09:25,599 of God that he would say to us, well done, good and faithful servant. Don’t you want to 90 00:09:25,599 –> 00:09:32,559 hear God say that to you? What would it be like to hear almighty God say to you, 91 00:09:32,559 –> 00:09:41,039 you fool? And the reason that this man lived as a fool was that he did not set his mind on the 92 00:09:41,039 –> 00:09:48,960 things that are above. And that is the height of folly, Jesus says. To live for the things of this 93 00:09:48,960 –> 00:09:55,599 world and to neglect being rich towards God, that’s the words Jesus used. And so this is why 94 00:09:55,599 –> 00:10:02,400 he says, now, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, but lay up for yourself 95 00:10:02,400 –> 00:10:09,200 treasure in heaven, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. In other words, 96 00:10:09,200 –> 00:10:16,559 he’s saying, the more you invest in stuff here, the more tied you’re gonna be to this world and 97 00:10:16,559 –> 00:10:20,880 to the things of this world. The more concerned you’re gonna be about it all. It’s gonna become 98 00:10:20,880 –> 00:10:28,799 more and more of your life watching your money. But he says, the more that you invest in Christ’s 99 00:10:28,799 –> 00:10:33,919 work on earth, the more you will find that your heart is tied to heaven and that’s where you wanna 100 00:10:33,919 –> 00:10:43,119 be. So learn to be rich towards God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. 101 00:10:46,559 –> 00:10:53,440 In this life, think of it this way. We are all rather like actors in a theater 102 00:10:54,559 –> 00:11:02,000 and we’re given different parts in a particular play. One gets to play the part of the prince. 103 00:11:02,640 –> 00:11:07,039 Another actor in our company gets to play the part of the pauper. 104 00:11:08,799 –> 00:11:13,520 And we put on these costumes and we play our part, but when the curtain comes down at the 105 00:11:13,520 –> 00:11:22,159 end of the play, all the actors go backstage and the costumes come off the man who played the part 106 00:11:22,159 –> 00:11:26,799 of the prince, takes off his very marvelous costume and the man who played the part of 107 00:11:26,799 –> 00:11:30,799 the man who played the part of the pauper, takes off his costume, the rags or whatever 108 00:11:30,799 –> 00:11:36,080 it was that he was wearing, and then both of these actors leave the theater by the same back door. 109 00:11:38,320 –> 00:11:44,000 What difference does it make that one of them got to play the part of the prince and the other 110 00:11:44,000 –> 00:11:49,359 one got to play the part of the pauper? When they leave the theatre they go into the real world, 111 00:11:51,200 –> 00:11:53,200 and what matters is who they are there. 112 00:11:53,840 –> 00:11:57,280 Now of course we think that this is the real world, don’t we? This is the world where we 113 00:11:57,280 –> 00:12:02,320 have sports, and this is the world where we are able to earn money, and this is the real world. 114 00:12:02,320 –> 00:12:08,159 And Jesus says, no, completely the opposite is true. Everything in this world is passing away. 115 00:12:10,320 –> 00:12:14,320 That which last is in the world which is to come. Do you believe that? 116 00:12:16,479 –> 00:12:19,359 This world is the world of shadows. This is the theater. 117 00:12:19,919 –> 00:12:24,719 This is where we’re playing our parts, but all of us are going to go out when the play is finished 118 00:12:24,719 –> 00:12:30,619 by the same back door, and we’re not going to go out in the material 119 00:12:30,619 –> 00:12:33,119 costumes of our life in this world. 120 00:12:36,559 –> 00:12:39,679 So why would you envy your brother who has more than you, 121 00:12:42,000 –> 00:12:45,599 when you know that both of you will leave this world by the same back door. 122 00:12:45,679 –> 00:12:50,119 It really doesn’t matter that he got to play the part of the prince and 123 00:12:50,119 –> 00:12:52,359 you got to play the part of the pauper. 124 00:12:53,619 –> 00:12:56,479 What matters is whether you have treasure in the real world. 125 00:12:58,020 –> 00:12:59,280 You know that’s what Jesus is talking about. 126 00:13:01,739 –> 00:13:05,280 Now, this picture has been immensely helpful to me. 127 00:13:05,280 –> 00:13:10,280 Meditating on your future life will change your view of money, how you think 128 00:13:10,280 –> 00:13:11,679 about it, what you think you need. 129 00:13:11,679 –> 00:13:14,080 What you think is the best thing to do to deal with what you’ve got. 130 00:13:16,440 –> 00:13:20,960 Set your minds on things that are about. 131 00:13:24,000 –> 00:13:28,039 Second, meditating on your future life will 132 00:13:28,039 –> 00:13:33,020 give you strength to endure the great trials of your life. 133 00:13:33,020 –> 00:13:34,380 Give you strength to endure. 134 00:13:34,380 –> 00:13:39,940 Think about this, we’re going to come around the Lord’s table this morning, 135 00:13:39,940 –> 00:13:43,659 how did Jesus endure the agonies of the cross? 136 00:13:44,520 –> 00:13:48,840 You think of what it meant for him to hang there? 137 00:13:48,840 –> 00:13:51,700 How do you do that? 138 00:13:51,700 –> 00:13:54,840 How do you do that? 139 00:13:54,840 –> 00:14:00,719 And the New Testament tells us, Hebrews 12, and verse 2, 140 00:14:00,719 –> 00:14:08,280 that Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before him. 141 00:14:08,280 –> 00:14:11,239 In other words, when Jesus was going through the 142 00:14:11,239 –> 00:14:14,440 unspeakable agonies of the cross, here’s what he did, 143 00:14:14,440 –> 00:14:17,340 he set his mind on things above. 144 00:14:17,340 –> 00:14:18,340 That’s how he endured. 145 00:14:18,340 –> 00:14:21,039 That’s how he got through that. 146 00:14:21,039 –> 00:14:23,900 That’s what Hebrews 12, and verse, tells us. 147 00:14:23,900 –> 00:14:26,760 And that same passage says, now, this is what we must do. 148 00:14:26,760 –> 00:14:30,020 We must fix our eyes on Jesus, the one who is the beginning 149 00:14:30,020 –> 00:14:32,400 and the ending of our faith. 150 00:14:32,400 –> 00:14:35,820 He got through the cross by fixing his eye on 151 00:14:35,820 –> 00:14:37,820 the joy that was before him. 152 00:14:37,820 –> 00:14:40,580 We must now do the same, so that we can run 153 00:14:40,619 –> 00:14:45,440 the race with perseverance that is marked out for us also. 154 00:14:47,700 –> 00:14:51,039 You endure the difficulties that you have now 155 00:14:51,039 –> 00:14:54,299 by fixing your eye, your mind, your heart, 156 00:14:54,299 –> 00:14:57,299 your faith on that which is to come. 157 00:14:58,900 –> 00:15:01,840 Last time Karin and I were in the U.K., 158 00:15:01,840 –> 00:15:04,979 we had an experience that I guess every person 159 00:15:04,979 –> 00:15:08,260 in this congregation today will also have had. 160 00:15:08,260 –> 00:15:10,739 We had a long journey from where her folks are 161 00:15:10,739 –> 00:15:13,739 to where my folks are, and we decided that 162 00:15:13,739 –> 00:15:16,140 the way it was working, we would stop for a night 163 00:15:16,140 –> 00:15:18,520 in an area where we don’t normally stop 164 00:15:18,520 –> 00:15:20,840 and didn’t have other members of family. 165 00:15:20,840 –> 00:15:24,299 And so I checked on the internet 166 00:15:24,299 –> 00:15:26,780 and found a place that looked like it would be okay 167 00:15:26,780 –> 00:15:30,719 and had got one of these internet-only 168 00:15:30,719 –> 00:15:32,679 prepaid reservations 169 00:15:32,679 –> 00:15:35,979 for a room for the two of us for the night. 170 00:15:35,979 –> 00:15:37,299 And I thought it was going to be okay, 171 00:15:37,299 –> 00:15:39,679 but when we arrived, it was terrible. 172 00:15:39,679 –> 00:15:40,799 It was terrible. 173 00:15:40,799 –> 00:15:43,219 I mean, this place might have been okay 174 00:15:43,219 –> 00:15:45,340 in the early 1960s. 175 00:15:45,340 –> 00:15:49,059 But I’ll tell you, nothing much, 176 00:15:49,059 –> 00:15:50,320 not even a lick of paint, 177 00:15:50,320 –> 00:15:53,400 seem to have happened in that place since then. 178 00:15:53,400 –> 00:15:55,400 I knew we were in trouble 179 00:15:55,400 –> 00:15:57,280 the moment that we pulled off the road 180 00:15:57,280 –> 00:15:59,359 because the slip road up to this place 181 00:15:59,359 –> 00:16:01,039 seemed to be overgrown. 182 00:16:01,039 –> 00:16:02,739 I thought, that this does not look good. 183 00:16:02,739 –> 00:16:05,820 Then when we got there and we saw this place, 184 00:16:05,820 –> 00:16:09,159 the restaurant that had once done business 185 00:16:09,159 –> 00:16:10,919 in partnership had closed 186 00:16:10,919 –> 00:16:12,599 and we found that there were only 187 00:16:12,599 –> 00:16:15,159 a very few of us who had fallen for this 188 00:16:15,159 –> 00:16:17,359 on the internet, three or four rooms 189 00:16:17,359 –> 00:16:18,200 that were rented. 190 00:16:18,200 –> 00:16:20,900 The bed seem to have been like a hand down 191 00:16:20,900 –> 00:16:24,280 from a campsite as far as I could see. 192 00:16:24,280 –> 00:16:25,840 And I was not very happy about this 193 00:16:25,840 –> 00:16:26,919 because you’re trapped, aren’t you? 194 00:16:26,919 –> 00:16:30,179 I mean, it’s prepaid on the credit card. 195 00:16:30,179 –> 00:16:35,039 So you’re locked in and I look at this place. 196 00:16:35,080 –> 00:16:36,440 Paying good money for this. 197 00:16:36,440 –> 00:16:38,820 I’m walking it and going, this is terrible. 198 00:16:38,820 –> 00:16:39,659 That’s so awful. 199 00:16:39,659 –> 00:16:40,659 I mean my goodness. 200 00:16:40,659 –> 00:16:43,539 And my dear, patient, long-suffering wife 201 00:16:43,539 –> 00:16:45,700 said to me, will you just sit down? 202 00:16:45,700 –> 00:16:49,119 She said, it’s only for one night. 203 00:16:49,119 –> 00:16:54,119 It’s only for one night. 204 00:16:56,400 –> 00:16:58,419 You see that gives an entirely different perspective 205 00:16:58,419 –> 00:16:59,260 doesn’t it? 206 00:16:59,260 –> 00:17:01,039 It was exactly what I needed to hear. 207 00:17:01,940 –> 00:17:03,700 Fretting about this place. 208 00:17:04,660 –> 00:17:07,579 It’s only for one night. 209 00:17:09,319 –> 00:17:11,400 Now you see, this is precisely what we’re being taught 210 00:17:11,400 –> 00:17:13,319 in second Corinthians in chapter four 211 00:17:13,319 –> 00:17:15,560 where Paul speaks to us in verse 16 there 212 00:17:15,560 –> 00:17:17,400 about how do you keep going 213 00:17:17,400 –> 00:17:20,040 when it’s really tough and not lose heart? 214 00:17:21,000 –> 00:17:22,979 And he says here’s how we don’t lose heart, 215 00:17:22,979 –> 00:17:25,180 he says what we’re experiencing now 216 00:17:25,180 –> 00:17:27,920 is a momentary affliction. 217 00:17:27,920 –> 00:17:29,699 A momentary affliction. 218 00:17:29,699 –> 00:17:31,839 You say, well it seems to be going on a long time to me. 219 00:17:31,839 –> 00:17:33,339 Well look, in the light of eternity 220 00:17:33,380 –> 00:17:35,520 you can only describe it as momentary. 221 00:17:36,420 –> 00:17:38,939 You lift up your eyes from what’s going on around you 222 00:17:38,939 –> 00:17:40,420 and the immediate circumstances 223 00:17:40,420 –> 00:17:42,280 and the difficulties you’re facing here 224 00:17:42,280 –> 00:17:45,380 and set your mind on things above. 225 00:17:45,380 –> 00:17:48,660 And what lies ahead of you for all eternity 226 00:17:49,739 –> 00:17:51,599 and you’ll begin to view it in a different way. 227 00:17:51,599 –> 00:17:53,439 It will strengthen you for the difficulties 228 00:17:53,439 –> 00:17:55,579 that you face here because you begin to see 229 00:17:55,579 –> 00:17:57,099 that in relation to eternity 230 00:17:57,099 –> 00:17:58,859 this is a momentary affliction 231 00:18:00,040 –> 00:18:01,780 and that in it there is being worked 232 00:18:01,800 –> 00:18:03,420 in eternal weight of glory 233 00:18:03,420 –> 00:18:05,959 that is beyond all comparison and Paul says 234 00:18:05,959 –> 00:18:06,819 so this is what we do, 235 00:18:06,819 –> 00:18:08,739 we don’t look at the things that are seen, 236 00:18:08,739 –> 00:18:10,780 we look at the things that are unseen 237 00:18:10,780 –> 00:18:12,939 because the things that are seen are passing away 238 00:18:12,939 –> 00:18:15,339 and the things that are unseen are eternal. 239 00:18:15,339 –> 00:18:18,520 So that’s how we endure difficulty in the Christian life. 240 00:18:19,839 –> 00:18:21,500 So set your mind on things above, 241 00:18:21,500 –> 00:18:23,640 it will help you, it will strengthen you 242 00:18:23,640 –> 00:18:27,020 to endure the really tough stuff in your life. 243 00:18:29,140 –> 00:18:30,739 And then here’s the third thing, 244 00:18:30,739 –> 00:18:32,140 meditating on your future life 245 00:18:32,140 –> 00:18:33,520 will not only change your view of money, 246 00:18:33,520 –> 00:18:35,439 the entire material world, 247 00:18:35,439 –> 00:18:37,439 not only give you strength to endure, 248 00:18:37,439 –> 00:18:38,859 meditating on your future life 249 00:18:38,859 –> 00:18:41,099 will motivate you to holiness. 250 00:18:42,459 –> 00:18:44,619 Now whenever you want to know the significance 251 00:18:44,619 –> 00:18:46,619 of what’s being said in a part of the Bible 252 00:18:46,619 –> 00:18:50,180 it’s a good rule of thumb to look at what’s before and after 253 00:18:50,180 –> 00:18:51,800 and what’s before and after here 254 00:18:51,800 –> 00:18:53,699 is all about the pursuit of holiness 255 00:18:53,699 –> 00:18:56,219 and how we go about it. 256 00:18:56,219 –> 00:18:58,339 What was happening in Colossae, 257 00:18:58,339 –> 00:19:00,619 the town to which Paul wrote this letter, 258 00:19:00,619 –> 00:19:02,339 there were some believers there, 259 00:19:02,339 –> 00:19:04,199 they had begun following Christ 260 00:19:04,199 –> 00:19:08,319 but they found as we all find at one place or another 261 00:19:08,319 –> 00:19:10,640 that the sheer weight of temptations 262 00:19:10,640 –> 00:19:13,219 seemed it felt to them to be overwhelming 263 00:19:14,219 –> 00:19:17,339 and folks had begun to ask this question, 264 00:19:17,339 –> 00:19:19,819 how do I deal with lust? 265 00:19:19,819 –> 00:19:21,979 How do I deal with all this stuff 266 00:19:21,979 –> 00:19:23,939 that comes up from within me? 267 00:19:23,939 –> 00:19:26,380 How am I to battle against it 268 00:19:26,380 –> 00:19:27,819 and folks were in difficulties 269 00:19:27,819 –> 00:19:29,300 and some of them had gone backwards 270 00:19:30,020 –> 00:19:31,900 and were living in defeat 271 00:19:31,900 –> 00:19:33,760 and whenever that question is raised 272 00:19:33,760 –> 00:19:35,459 there are always plenty of answers 273 00:19:35,459 –> 00:19:37,979 and one answer that doesn’t work 274 00:19:37,979 –> 00:19:39,780 is at the end of chapter two 275 00:19:39,780 –> 00:19:41,939 just before what Paul says here, 276 00:19:41,939 –> 00:19:43,380 basically Paul tells them, 277 00:19:43,380 –> 00:19:46,579 look you can’t overcome the root of sin 278 00:19:46,579 –> 00:19:50,739 simply by disciplines and boundaries and accountability, 279 00:19:50,739 –> 00:19:52,819 all these are good things do them, 280 00:19:52,819 –> 00:19:53,660 pursue them 281 00:19:53,660 –> 00:19:56,540 but if you only have disciplines and accountability 282 00:19:56,540 –> 00:19:58,319 it’s like pulling the tops off weeds, 283 00:19:58,439 –> 00:20:00,060 because these things because they’re human things 284 00:20:00,060 –> 00:20:03,160 don’t get to the root of the matter in the soul. 285 00:20:04,199 –> 00:20:06,180 Then if you look at chapter three in verse five 286 00:20:06,180 –> 00:20:08,599 what comes after the passage we’re looking at here 287 00:20:08,599 –> 00:20:11,640 you find him saying put to death therefore 288 00:20:11,640 –> 00:20:14,319 whatever is earthly in you, 289 00:20:14,319 –> 00:20:15,160 so you’re saying, 290 00:20:15,160 –> 00:20:17,160 now wait a minute what makes that possible then? 291 00:20:18,540 –> 00:20:20,780 And the answer is what’s in the middle. 292 00:20:20,780 –> 00:20:23,319 In our verses that you are raised with Christ 293 00:20:23,319 –> 00:20:25,719 that you have the power of a new life within you 294 00:20:26,560 –> 00:20:28,800 and that you set your mind 295 00:20:28,800 –> 00:20:31,359 on things that are above. 296 00:20:33,000 –> 00:20:35,500 So here we’re being told the value 297 00:20:36,780 –> 00:20:39,520 of setting your mind on the things above. 298 00:20:39,520 –> 00:20:41,560 It will change your view of your life in this world. 299 00:20:41,560 –> 00:20:44,359 It will change your view of money and what to do with it. 300 00:20:44,359 –> 00:20:47,439 It will give you strength in the toughest things 301 00:20:47,439 –> 00:20:49,319 that you experience in this world 302 00:20:49,319 –> 00:20:50,880 and it will motivate you 303 00:20:50,880 –> 00:20:53,739 in a whole new way in the pursuit of holiness. 304 00:20:54,680 –> 00:20:57,199 You’ll get beyond simply rules and disciplines. 305 00:20:57,199 –> 00:21:01,359 You will have the product of a life that is in Christ 306 00:21:01,359 –> 00:21:04,359 as you set your mind on things above. 307 00:21:04,359 –> 00:21:07,640 So immense value, you can see how that’s going to be 308 00:21:07,640 –> 00:21:11,300 shaping for all of us over time, as we do this. 309 00:21:12,680 –> 00:21:14,520 The question is, how? 310 00:21:15,939 –> 00:21:17,599 Okay, set your mind on things above. 311 00:21:17,599 –> 00:21:18,739 How am I to do that? 312 00:21:20,579 –> 00:21:21,900 Some practical help. 313 00:21:24,439 –> 00:21:28,739 Nobody has written on this subject more helpfully 314 00:21:28,739 –> 00:21:33,380 or more practically than Richard Baxter, 315 00:21:33,380 –> 00:21:37,660 who was a pastor in Kidderminster, in England, 316 00:21:37,660 –> 00:21:40,640 a remarkable and godly man. 317 00:21:40,640 –> 00:21:45,540 Just so you get the feel of Baxter and his own experience, 318 00:21:45,540 –> 00:21:49,880 let me read this description from Doctor J.I. Packer. 319 00:21:49,900 –> 00:21:53,400 We’re talking about a man living back in the 17th century, 320 00:21:54,280 –> 00:21:59,280 and Packer describes him as a chronically sick Puritan, 321 00:22:00,680 –> 00:22:05,520 tubercular from his teens, and suffering constantly 322 00:22:05,520 –> 00:22:09,900 from dyspepsia, kidney stones, 323 00:22:09,900 –> 00:22:14,479 headaches, toothaches, swollen limbs, 324 00:22:14,479 –> 00:22:17,839 intermittent bleeding at his extremities, 325 00:22:17,900 –> 00:22:21,520 and other troubles all before the days 326 00:22:21,520 –> 00:22:23,560 of pain-killing drugs. 327 00:22:23,560 –> 00:22:25,280 How would you like that life? 328 00:22:26,219 –> 00:22:29,660 Kidney stones, that’s bad enough on its own. 329 00:22:31,040 –> 00:22:33,800 All before the days of pain-killing drugs. 330 00:22:34,760 –> 00:22:36,619 So I’m telling you this so that you know 331 00:22:36,619 –> 00:22:38,979 that in listening to Richard Baxter, 332 00:22:38,979 –> 00:22:41,099 we are listening to wisdom that has come out 333 00:22:41,099 –> 00:22:46,099 of a man who really knew pain, physical pain all his life 334 00:22:46,119 –> 00:22:50,119 from early childhood, tubercular from teenage years. 335 00:22:51,640 –> 00:22:53,439 Now how do you live with that? 336 00:22:54,780 –> 00:22:58,000 How do you gut it out if your life’s as hard as that? 337 00:22:59,359 –> 00:23:02,199 And here was Richard Baxter’s answer. 338 00:23:02,199 –> 00:23:07,040 He decided to spend 30 minutes every day 339 00:23:07,040 –> 00:23:08,599 thinking about heaven. 340 00:23:09,520 –> 00:23:13,079 Half an hour every day, setting his mind 341 00:23:13,079 –> 00:23:15,160 on things that are above. 342 00:23:15,319 –> 00:23:18,839 He began doing this when he was 30 years old. 343 00:23:18,839 –> 00:23:22,319 Already he’d suffered a fair bit, tubercular from his teens. 344 00:23:22,319 –> 00:23:23,599 But when he was 30 years old, 345 00:23:23,599 –> 00:23:24,959 he decided, this is what I must do. 346 00:23:24,959 –> 00:23:26,280 I’ve got to spend half an hour every day 347 00:23:26,280 –> 00:23:29,040 just thinking about heaven and what is mine in heaven 348 00:23:29,040 –> 00:23:33,020 and lifting my mind above this dreadful stuff 349 00:23:33,020 –> 00:23:34,439 that I’m experiencing here 350 00:23:34,439 –> 00:23:36,599 and setting my mind on what is to come. 351 00:23:36,599 –> 00:23:41,520 And he did that from the age of 30 for the rest of his life. 352 00:23:41,520 –> 00:23:45,280 Doctor Packer says, this cultivation gave him 353 00:23:45,280 –> 00:23:48,439 a daily doggedness, I like that, 354 00:23:48,439 –> 00:23:49,760 in hard work for God, 355 00:23:49,760 –> 00:23:53,400 despite the debilitating effects of his sick body. 356 00:23:53,400 –> 00:23:56,000 And this man actually had a wonderfully fruitful life 357 00:23:56,000 –> 00:23:57,739 and a wonderfully fruitful ministry 358 00:23:57,739 –> 00:24:00,119 in evangelism and in discipleship 359 00:24:00,119 –> 00:24:04,140 and seemed able to endure these great difficulties 360 00:24:04,140 –> 00:24:07,619 because he set his mind on things that are above. 361 00:24:07,680 –> 00:24:12,040 Now in 1650, Richard Baxter wrote a book 362 00:24:12,040 –> 00:24:15,839 called the Saints’ Everlasting Rest. 363 00:24:15,839 –> 00:24:17,040 It’s about heaven. 364 00:24:18,040 –> 00:24:20,900 And I guess if you’ve been thinking about heaven 365 00:24:20,900 –> 00:24:23,459 for half an hour everyday since the age of 30, 366 00:24:23,459 –> 00:24:25,140 then eventually you have a lot of thoughts 367 00:24:25,140 –> 00:24:27,000 in your mind about heaven, right? 368 00:24:27,000 –> 00:24:29,699 And so he wrote a very, very long book about heaven, 369 00:24:29,699 –> 00:24:31,420 a really long book. 370 00:24:31,420 –> 00:24:34,079 And it’s not terribly easy to read, 371 00:24:34,079 –> 00:24:36,699 the language is somewhat obscure. 372 00:24:36,719 –> 00:24:40,699 And yet there has not been, I think, 373 00:24:40,699 –> 00:24:45,160 before or since a more profound treatment 374 00:24:45,160 –> 00:24:48,780 of what it means to set your mind on things above 375 00:24:48,780 –> 00:24:52,260 than Richard Baxter in the Saints’ Everlasting Rest, 376 00:24:52,260 –> 00:24:53,839 because he did it everyday of his life. 377 00:24:53,839 –> 00:24:56,020 This was the thing that he gave himself to. 378 00:24:57,459 –> 00:25:00,760 Now, at the end of his book, 379 00:25:00,760 –> 00:25:04,880 he lays out what he calls directions 380 00:25:04,880 –> 00:25:08,239 for meditating on your future life. 381 00:25:08,239 –> 00:25:10,780 And that in itself is, I don’t know, 382 00:25:10,780 –> 00:25:12,099 well more than 100 pages. 383 00:25:12,099 –> 00:25:14,339 And I’ve only got a few minutes left. 384 00:25:14,339 –> 00:25:16,859 So, let me just give you a quick summary 385 00:25:16,859 –> 00:25:20,180 of things that I have gained and found really helpful 386 00:25:20,180 –> 00:25:23,859 in my own life that I’ve drawn from Richard Baxter, 387 00:25:23,859 –> 00:25:26,780 whose whole life was really centered around this theme 388 00:25:26,780 –> 00:25:31,439 of what it means to set your mind on things above. 389 00:25:31,439 –> 00:25:33,020 And so just these four observations, 390 00:25:33,660 –> 00:25:35,479 I hope they’ll be as helpful to you 391 00:25:35,479 –> 00:25:38,760 as I am finding them in my own life. 392 00:25:38,760 –> 00:25:40,680 The first is simply this, 393 00:25:40,680 –> 00:25:45,400 take responsibility for directing your mind, 394 00:25:45,400 –> 00:25:49,359 take responsibility for directing your mind. 395 00:25:49,359 –> 00:25:52,140 Listen, set your mind, 396 00:25:52,140 –> 00:25:54,920 set your mind on the things that are above. 397 00:25:54,920 –> 00:25:57,020 This is something for you to do. 398 00:25:57,020 –> 00:26:00,599 It is something you must do and it is something you can do. 399 00:26:00,599 –> 00:26:04,319 It is something you must do because it is a command of God. 400 00:26:04,319 –> 00:26:05,859 Just because it’s in the New Testament 401 00:26:05,859 –> 00:26:07,920 doesn’t mean it’s not a command, it is a command. 402 00:26:07,920 –> 00:26:09,319 Set your mind on things above. 403 00:26:09,319 –> 00:26:10,739 This is what God is saying to you. 404 00:26:10,739 –> 00:26:13,640 You must do it, God calls you to it. 405 00:26:13,640 –> 00:26:14,359 Not optional. 406 00:26:15,300 –> 00:26:17,479 And also you need to know that you can do it. 407 00:26:17,479 –> 00:26:18,780 How can I do it? 408 00:26:18,780 –> 00:26:20,260 Because you’re raised with Christ, 409 00:26:20,260 –> 00:26:23,140 if you’re a Christian, you have the ability to do this. 410 00:26:24,140 –> 00:26:26,180 Setting your mind on things that are up above 411 00:26:26,180 –> 00:26:29,900 is part of your God-given Christian job description. 412 00:26:29,979 –> 00:26:31,280 It’s something that He calls you to do. 413 00:26:31,280 –> 00:26:33,780 It’s not optional it’s in there. 414 00:26:33,780 –> 00:26:35,459 Here’s one of the reasons that I find 415 00:26:35,459 –> 00:26:38,160 the Puritan writers to be so helpful. 416 00:26:39,099 –> 00:26:43,160 They not only had a very close walk with God, 417 00:26:43,160 –> 00:26:46,739 but they seemed to have a particular understanding 418 00:26:46,739 –> 00:26:48,880 of the human individual. 419 00:26:49,640 –> 00:26:51,500 And one of the ways in which that is expressed 420 00:26:51,500 –> 00:26:54,180 was that they understood that although you have a mind 421 00:26:54,180 –> 00:26:57,140 and you have a heart and you have a will, 422 00:26:57,140 –> 00:26:58,579 you are more than your mind 423 00:26:58,579 –> 00:27:00,060 and you are more than your heart 424 00:27:00,060 –> 00:27:02,479 and you are more than your will, 425 00:27:02,479 –> 00:27:05,939 that the Christian as it were is an individual 426 00:27:05,939 –> 00:27:08,660 that can be differentiated from simply the mind 427 00:27:08,660 –> 00:27:11,060 or from the heart or from the will. 428 00:27:11,060 –> 00:27:13,060 And therefore that you are in a position 429 00:27:13,060 –> 00:27:16,000 to speak to your mind and speak to your heart 430 00:27:16,000 –> 00:27:18,839 and speak to your will to give direction to them 431 00:27:18,839 –> 00:27:23,300 to set your mind to set your heart and to set your will. 432 00:27:24,479 –> 00:27:25,739 Enormously helpful. 433 00:27:26,680 –> 00:27:30,000 Of course we know about this in relation to the body. 434 00:27:31,000 –> 00:27:33,099 You watch a game of football in the afternoon 435 00:27:33,099 –> 00:27:36,260 Sunday afternoon, sit in the lazy boy, 436 00:27:36,260 –> 00:27:39,040 remote control bag of chips or whatever, you know. 437 00:27:40,140 –> 00:27:41,160 And you really enjoy it, 438 00:27:41,160 –> 00:27:44,619 this is wonderfully relaxing and that’s a good thing. 439 00:27:44,619 –> 00:27:46,520 And at the end you think, 440 00:27:46,520 –> 00:27:50,540 oh boy now I feel really sluggish, you know that feeling? 441 00:27:51,420 –> 00:27:55,099 And you think I better get up and have some exercise. 442 00:27:55,099 –> 00:27:57,619 I ought to go a walk or maybe you’ll go for a run 443 00:27:57,619 –> 00:27:59,699 or whatever that is for you. 444 00:27:59,699 –> 00:28:02,280 Get on the treadmill or I don’t know. 445 00:28:02,280 –> 00:28:03,219 And so what do you do? 446 00:28:03,219 –> 00:28:05,119 Your body’s lying there in the lazy boy, 447 00:28:05,119 –> 00:28:07,579 your body doesn’t particularly wanna get up, 448 00:28:07,579 –> 00:28:09,540 but you know that you need to get up 449 00:28:09,540 –> 00:28:10,560 so you rouse your body, don’t you? 450 00:28:10,560 –> 00:28:12,400 You say, I’ve gotta get up and go for a walk, 451 00:28:12,400 –> 00:28:13,380 or your wife says it’s time you got up 452 00:28:13,380 –> 00:28:15,459 and went for a walk, right? 453 00:28:15,459 –> 00:28:16,300 Okay? 454 00:28:16,300 –> 00:28:19,540 And so some direction is given to the body 455 00:28:19,540 –> 00:28:21,839 and the litte body rises and goes for a walk. 456 00:28:22,839 –> 00:28:24,439 Now in precisely the same way, 457 00:28:24,439 –> 00:28:27,500 it’s almost without thinking we give direction to the body. 458 00:28:28,699 –> 00:28:30,959 Learn to give direction to your mind, 459 00:28:30,959 –> 00:28:32,760 to your heart, to your will. 460 00:28:32,760 –> 00:28:34,599 Set your mind, you see? 461 00:28:35,719 –> 00:28:37,079 Let me take a second step. 462 00:28:38,599 –> 00:28:43,599 Learn the art of talking to yourself. 463 00:28:44,500 –> 00:28:46,760 Learn the art of talking to yourself. 464 00:28:46,760 –> 00:28:48,920 We smile because you say, 465 00:28:48,920 –> 00:28:51,239 well I thought that talking to yourself 466 00:28:51,319 –> 00:28:54,079 was the first sign of madness, right? 467 00:28:55,239 –> 00:28:57,719 Well actually, as we’re referring to it here, 468 00:28:57,719 –> 00:29:00,319 it is a sure sign of spiritual growth. 469 00:29:01,339 –> 00:29:03,599 It’s all over the Bible, especially the Psalms. 470 00:29:03,599 –> 00:29:07,359 When David says, bless the Lord, oh my soul, 471 00:29:07,359 –> 00:29:08,319 who’s he talking to? 472 00:29:08,319 –> 00:29:09,699 He’s talking to himself. 473 00:29:10,880 –> 00:29:14,319 When he says, why are you cast down, oh my soul 474 00:29:14,319 –> 00:29:18,140 and why are you so discouraged within me, 475 00:29:18,140 –> 00:29:19,599 disturbed within me? 476 00:29:20,300 –> 00:29:21,680 Well, who’s he talking to? 477 00:29:21,680 –> 00:29:23,380 He’s talking to himself. 478 00:29:25,280 –> 00:29:28,119 Now, Martyn Lloyd-Jones made this observation 479 00:29:28,119 –> 00:29:30,180 on many occasions, he said, we get into 480 00:29:30,180 –> 00:29:33,060 so many difficulties as Christians 481 00:29:33,060 –> 00:29:36,160 because we spend too much time listening to ourselves 482 00:29:36,160 –> 00:29:39,219 and not enough time talking to ourselves. 483 00:29:39,219 –> 00:29:40,260 That’s very helpful. 484 00:29:41,140 –> 00:29:42,859 It’s, oh, my heart is saying this. 485 00:29:42,859 –> 00:29:44,739 Well, speak to your heart about that. 486 00:29:45,599 –> 00:29:47,199 Oh, my mind’s going all over the place, 487 00:29:47,199 –> 00:29:48,420 speak to your mind about that. 488 00:29:48,420 –> 00:29:50,260 Set your mind, you see. 489 00:29:51,500 –> 00:29:52,640 You’re more than your mind, 490 00:29:52,640 –> 00:29:53,619 you’re more than your heart, 491 00:29:53,619 –> 00:29:54,920 you’re more than your will. 492 00:29:56,780 –> 00:29:59,020 Baxter has a wonderful little picture here 493 00:29:59,020 –> 00:30:01,459 that all of us will understand. 494 00:30:01,459 –> 00:30:05,180 He says you need to learn to manage 495 00:30:05,180 –> 00:30:08,319 your own heart, manage your own heart. 496 00:30:09,500 –> 00:30:11,920 Now, think about being in business. 497 00:30:11,920 –> 00:30:13,219 Imagine you’re running a business, 498 00:30:13,219 –> 00:30:15,540 many of you folks are doing this. 499 00:30:15,540 –> 00:30:17,199 And you’ve got a few employees, 500 00:30:17,199 –> 00:30:18,560 and now you hire a new guy 501 00:30:18,560 –> 00:30:19,319 and he’s just out of college 502 00:30:19,319 –> 00:30:21,459 and you’ve got a real clear job description 503 00:30:21,459 –> 00:30:23,040 and a purpose and a task for him. 504 00:30:23,040 –> 00:30:24,920 And you say you’re the man, go to it. 505 00:30:24,920 –> 00:30:26,280 Here’s what you need to do. 506 00:30:26,280 –> 00:30:28,219 And he begins to work for you. 507 00:30:29,319 –> 00:30:30,579 And after a couple of days, 508 00:30:30,579 –> 00:30:32,339 there’s a pattern that’s very obvious, 509 00:30:32,339 –> 00:30:34,939 he’s not doing what’s on the job description at all. 510 00:30:35,920 –> 00:30:38,400 And in fact, he’s hardly at his desk. 511 00:30:38,400 –> 00:30:40,119 What he’s doing is he’s wandering around 512 00:30:40,119 –> 00:30:41,880 and he’s chatting to the other employees 513 00:30:41,880 –> 00:30:43,560 and he’s distracting them from their work 514 00:30:43,560 –> 00:30:44,920 and he’s having a marvelous time, 515 00:30:44,920 –> 00:30:46,020 but he’s not being productive. 516 00:30:46,099 –> 00:30:48,300 He’s not doing what you hired him to do. 517 00:30:50,239 –> 00:30:51,619 He’s going where his heart wants to go. 518 00:30:51,619 –> 00:30:53,060 He’s going where his mind wants to go 519 00:30:53,060 –> 00:30:54,319 and he’s not focused. 520 00:30:55,900 –> 00:30:57,699 So you are the manager. 521 00:30:57,699 –> 00:30:58,660 What are you going to do? 522 00:30:58,660 –> 00:31:00,079 Well, you know what you’re going to do. 523 00:31:00,079 –> 00:31:01,319 You’re going to bring him into the office 524 00:31:01,319 –> 00:31:02,260 and you’re going to sit down. 525 00:31:02,260 –> 00:31:05,280 You’re going to have a good, straight talk with him. 526 00:31:05,280 –> 00:31:06,839 Aren’t you? 527 00:31:06,839 –> 00:31:07,760 You’re going to say, 528 00:31:07,760 –> 00:31:09,300 look, this is no good. 529 00:31:09,300 –> 00:31:10,859 Let’s understand some things straight. 530 00:31:10,859 –> 00:31:13,339 You know how to make that speech. 531 00:31:13,339 –> 00:31:14,260 You’ll manage him. 532 00:31:14,560 –> 00:31:16,859 Now says Baxter, 533 00:31:16,859 –> 00:31:19,680 that’s exactly what you have to do with your own heart 534 00:31:19,680 –> 00:31:21,380 because your heart will always be in trouble. 535 00:31:21,380 –> 00:31:23,619 Your heart will always be going all over the place 536 00:31:23,619 –> 00:31:26,500 and wanting this and moving after that. 537 00:31:26,500 –> 00:31:29,479 And you need to learn to be a manager of your own heart. 538 00:31:29,479 –> 00:31:31,839 Set your mind, set your heart. 539 00:31:33,060 –> 00:31:34,719 Speak to it. 540 00:31:34,719 –> 00:31:36,640 Round on your heart he says. 541 00:31:36,640 –> 00:31:37,979 I love that old language. 542 00:31:37,979 –> 00:31:40,579 He says, round on your heart. 543 00:31:40,579 –> 00:31:42,339 Don’t accept its excuses. 544 00:31:42,339 –> 00:31:44,020 Chide it for its backwardness. 545 00:31:44,780 –> 00:31:47,079 Bring it into service whether it’s willing or not. 546 00:31:48,300 –> 00:31:49,739 Learn the art of speaking to yourself. 547 00:31:49,739 –> 00:31:50,900 Here’s the third thing. 548 00:31:51,780 –> 00:31:56,780 Direct your heart by exercising faith in God’s promise. 549 00:31:58,540 –> 00:31:59,660 Here’s how you do it. 550 00:32:00,719 –> 00:32:03,520 Baxter’s language is beautiful here. 551 00:32:03,520 –> 00:32:07,020 He says, let faith as it were, 552 00:32:07,020 –> 00:32:09,780 take your heart by the hand 553 00:32:10,760 –> 00:32:15,300 and show your heart your riches and glory. 554 00:32:16,260 –> 00:32:19,540 Let your faith take your heart by the hand 555 00:32:20,939 –> 00:32:23,520 and show your heart all that is yours 556 00:32:23,520 –> 00:32:28,180 in the Lord Jesus Christ. 557 00:32:29,459 –> 00:32:30,680 What a beautiful picture. 558 00:32:32,339 –> 00:32:37,339 Baxter says, take a walk in the New Jerusalem every day. 559 00:32:40,780 –> 00:32:41,699 Think about that. 560 00:32:42,660 –> 00:32:45,459 So, I take a walk, most days, 561 00:32:45,459 –> 00:32:47,619 it’s not a very remarkable thing, 562 00:32:47,619 –> 00:32:49,880 once round the block, just a little bit of exercise, 563 00:32:49,880 –> 00:32:52,099 should be a lot further and it should be a lot faster, 564 00:32:52,099 –> 00:32:54,819 I’m sure, but I take this little walk round the block 565 00:32:55,939 –> 00:32:57,540 and Baxter is saying now, 566 00:32:58,500 –> 00:33:01,560 take a little walk round the New Jerusalem, every day. 567 00:33:02,439 –> 00:33:04,160 Set your mind on things above. 568 00:33:04,160 –> 00:33:05,859 Every day, have some time, 569 00:33:05,859 –> 00:33:08,660 when you think about what is yours in Christ 570 00:33:08,839 –> 00:33:12,699 and all that will be yours in his presence. 571 00:33:12,699 –> 00:33:13,780 By the way, you could do that 572 00:33:13,780 –> 00:33:15,219 while you’re walking round the block. 573 00:33:15,219 –> 00:33:17,040 That would be a good combination, wouldn’t it? 574 00:33:17,040 –> 00:33:20,140 You exercise your body and you set your mind 575 00:33:20,140 –> 00:33:24,599 and you set your heart and you bring into mind scriptures, 576 00:33:24,599 –> 00:33:27,699 just a simple scripture that speaks to you 577 00:33:28,900 –> 00:33:29,739 about what is yours. 578 00:33:29,739 –> 00:33:33,839 In my Father’s house, there are many many rooms. 579 00:33:34,979 –> 00:33:37,640 And where I am, you will be also. 580 00:33:38,979 –> 00:33:41,079 And think not only about Heaven in general, 581 00:33:41,079 –> 00:33:44,739 but remember this, that Heaven is where Christ is seated. 582 00:33:44,739 –> 00:33:46,619 So to set your mind on things above 583 00:33:46,619 –> 00:33:50,819 means to set your mind on all that is yours in Christ. 584 00:33:50,819 –> 00:33:54,040 Heart, you’re so discouraged today and you’re down, 585 00:33:54,040 –> 00:33:56,359 but look at what is yours in Jesus now 586 00:33:56,359 –> 00:33:58,800 and look at what is yours in Jesus to come. 587 00:34:00,160 –> 00:34:04,380 Learn to be a kind of preacher to your own heart. 588 00:34:04,380 –> 00:34:08,179 Show your own heart the riches that are yours 589 00:34:08,179 –> 00:34:10,479 in Jesus Christ. 590 00:34:10,479 –> 00:34:12,959 Tell yourself, rouse yourself, you see. 591 00:34:14,540 –> 00:34:17,899 And then here’s the last thing, just very briefly. 592 00:34:17,899 –> 00:34:21,100 Use the joys of Earth 593 00:34:21,100 –> 00:34:23,340 to propel you 594 00:34:23,340 –> 00:34:24,600 towards Heaven. 595 00:34:25,699 –> 00:34:27,379 Set your mind on things above. 596 00:34:27,379 –> 00:34:28,340 How am I to do that? 597 00:34:28,340 –> 00:34:30,260 Well, just on an everyday basis, 598 00:34:30,300 –> 00:34:34,739 try to cultivate the habit of using the joys of this life 599 00:34:34,739 –> 00:34:38,179 to propel you so that your mind will be set 600 00:34:38,179 –> 00:34:40,219 on the things that are above, 601 00:34:40,219 –> 00:34:41,919 so very simply, 602 00:34:42,800 –> 00:34:45,939 within the next hour or two, 603 00:34:47,260 –> 00:34:49,659 all of us will have a lunch, 604 00:34:50,699 –> 00:34:53,360 and maybe some of you will have a nice lunch, 605 00:34:53,360 –> 00:34:56,340 and you say, it’s Sunday and I’m really hungry, 606 00:34:56,340 –> 00:34:58,620 and you go to a nice restaurant, perhaps, 607 00:34:58,679 –> 00:35:00,340 or have a wonderful meal in your home, 608 00:35:00,340 –> 00:35:02,639 and you know that feeling when you come, 609 00:35:02,639 –> 00:35:04,620 you’re hungry and there’s a lovely meal, 610 00:35:04,620 –> 00:35:06,860 here’s a steak, you say, 611 00:35:06,860 –> 00:35:08,639 and you say, oh, that was a marvelous steak, 612 00:35:08,639 –> 00:35:10,659 and you feel so satisfied at the end. 613 00:35:12,060 –> 00:35:14,760 Now very simply, make this the habit of your mind, 614 00:35:16,179 –> 00:35:20,139 if it feels so good to have been satisfied 615 00:35:20,139 –> 00:35:22,899 at a table with a piece of steak, 616 00:35:24,100 –> 00:35:26,600 how much more will be your joy 617 00:35:26,620 –> 00:35:28,639 when you are satisfied at the table 618 00:35:28,639 –> 00:35:31,820 in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ? 619 00:35:31,820 –> 00:35:33,000 What will that be? 620 00:35:34,139 –> 00:35:37,000 In other words, don’t let the steak tie you more to earth, 621 00:35:37,000 –> 00:35:38,280 oh, isn’t this life wonderful, 622 00:35:38,280 –> 00:35:39,439 we get to eat steak, 623 00:35:39,439 –> 00:35:42,260 no, let the steak that you’ve enjoyed 624 00:35:42,260 –> 00:35:45,379 propel your mind to the greater joys 625 00:35:45,379 –> 00:35:47,919 that lie ahead of you in heaven, 626 00:35:47,919 –> 00:35:50,260 and then run that right throughout your whole life. 627 00:35:50,260 –> 00:35:53,520 If you’re finding pleasure in the arts, 628 00:35:53,560 –> 00:35:58,479 or science, or technology, 629 00:35:58,479 –> 00:36:00,439 and you’re studying, and you’re learning. 630 00:36:00,439 –> 00:36:02,600 Don’t let that be like a ball and chain 631 00:36:02,600 –> 00:36:05,639 that ties you more and more and more to earthly things. 632 00:36:05,639 –> 00:36:07,939 Use the blessings of life in this world 633 00:36:07,939 –> 00:36:09,199 to propel your mind to heaven. 634 00:36:09,199 –> 00:36:13,239 Say, look, if the product of human genius and imagination 635 00:36:13,239 –> 00:36:16,540 can be this beautiful and this fascinating to me, 636 00:36:16,540 –> 00:36:18,580 what will it be in the presence of Christ 637 00:36:18,580 –> 00:36:20,379 in the new heaven and the new Earth? 638 00:36:21,219 –> 00:36:23,760 And if you experience the love of friendship, 639 00:36:23,760 –> 00:36:26,379 the joy of marriage, let that not be the thing 640 00:36:26,379 –> 00:36:27,800 that ties you to the Earth. 641 00:36:27,800 –> 00:36:30,020 Oh, well, you know, this is what we have here. 642 00:36:30,020 –> 00:36:32,199 Let the joys of that that are so great 643 00:36:32,199 –> 00:36:33,580 propel your mind to heaven. 644 00:36:33,580 –> 00:36:35,639 How great will be the joys there? 645 00:36:37,360 –> 00:36:39,120 In other words, don’t let the joys 646 00:36:39,120 –> 00:36:41,179 of this world become your anchor. 647 00:36:42,399 –> 00:36:44,219 Use the joys of this world 648 00:36:44,219 –> 00:36:46,600 that they may propel your mind and your heart 649 00:36:46,600 –> 00:36:48,659 to think about the things which are above, 650 00:36:49,300 –> 00:36:53,479 which are longer-lasting, and better in every way. 651 00:36:53,479 –> 00:36:56,540 Don’t let the joys of Earth tie you down. 652 00:36:56,540 –> 00:36:59,479 Let the joys of Earth lift you up. 653 00:36:59,479 –> 00:37:01,620 Use the blessings of this life 654 00:37:01,620 –> 00:37:03,520 to anticipate the greater blessings 655 00:37:03,520 –> 00:37:05,199 that are yours in Christ, 656 00:37:05,199 –> 00:37:08,219 and that lie ahead of you in His presence 657 00:37:08,219 –> 00:37:09,600 at His right hand. 658 00:37:09,600 –> 00:37:10,719 And so Paul says, 659 00:37:10,719 –> 00:37:14,139 if then you have been raised with Christ, 660 00:37:14,139 –> 00:37:17,840 seek the things that are above, where Christ is, 661 00:37:17,840 –> 00:37:20,399 seated at the right hand of God. 662 00:37:20,399 –> 00:37:22,840 Set your minds on the things that are above, 663 00:37:22,840 –> 00:37:24,639 not on the things of the earth, 664 00:37:24,639 –> 00:37:26,840 for you have died and your life is hidden 665 00:37:26,840 –> 00:37:28,699 with Christ in God. 666 00:37:28,699 –> 00:37:32,600 And when Christ who is your life appears, 667 00:37:32,600 –> 00:37:37,600 you also will appear with Him in glory. 668 00:37:39,739 –> 00:37:44,739 Father, let us live in joyful anticipation 669 00:37:45,739 –> 00:37:50,239 of all that is ours in Christ 670 00:37:50,239 –> 00:37:55,280 and all that is ours in Him already 671 00:37:55,280 –> 00:37:58,020 and all that is yet to be. 672 00:37:58,020 –> 00:38:01,340 For these things we ask in the Savior’s name 673 00:38:01,340 –> 00:38:02,840 and everyone together said, amen.