July 24, 2016

Good morning. I say welcome to class this morning because we're in the midst of the city's I'm leaving. Let me let me put a cup of coffee out there. They'll be no test. So that feels good out. There will be home worked out, but it'll be good kind of homework, but I say welcome to class because we're in a sermon series this morning where we've we've kind of been camping and a verse in Colossians 3 and staying there for several weeks in a row and so it's kind of a teaching Series. So this morning I want to start by reviewing and catching us up a little bit in case you've not been here and reminding us of what we've said all ready and then just focus briefly with the lesson for today on Colossians that we want to kind of keep in her mind and keep caring Ford kind of make this verse In this passage something kind of a devotional Focus this summer. I know sometimes in the summer our lives are busy and full and still part of the intention of this teaching series and some of the the repetition is to give us the gift of sing Oh, yeah. I remember that now I can put that back of my mind and kind of focus on that again, so we've been focusing on Chapter 3 verse 1 for several weeks. So if you have been raised with Christ seek, the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God that we talked about that the first week about Christ being raised. The author that's kind of guiding this in some ways and I think we've shared this or Kayla may have shared it. There's a great little devotional book. It's just a tiny little book 30-day devotional on Colossians 3 called hidden by a guy named James Smith. And so this is a quote from him. We both been reading that this summer cuz Caleb is preached a week or so ago on this passage Jesus rose from the grave. There is nothing. I cannot rise from even death cannot hold me down. Nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus and the first Sunday that we talked about this we talked about that reality that Christ resurrected from the grave that Christ Rose him from the grave and that are that God Rose Christ for the grave and that Christ Victory is our Victory Paul says in Galatians, 2:19 and 20 that it's no longer he that lives but Christ that lives in him and in 1st Corinthians 15 Paul goes to discussing the resurrection because of Christ Resurrection. We will all know Resurrection one day and so that's the foundation. This passage Paula saying since Christ since you've been risen with Christ set your mind on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. It's the second week. We focus on the word with so if you have been raised with Christ seek, the things that are above where Christ is seated where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. And so again for Marlin devotional book God is with me and all that. I do I have strength wisdom and all the provision I need if we meditate on these vs. And we try to internalize them then we're reminding yourself that we've been raised because Christ has been raised that the grave no longer is a threat to us or has victory over us because we are in Christ and Christ is with us. And so we share is Victory and just that fundamental truth of the resurrection and this fundamental truth that Christ is with us are things that we need to keep reminding ourselves up. I don't know about you, but I can forget these things. Can you? I mean, do you go through everyday thinking that's right prices with me. Is that on your mind on a regular basis this past week? I got to go out to Asbury Theological Seminary and and help teach in a couple of doctoral classes a couple of mornings this week and I got to go sit in on Chapel and one of the chapel speakers. Let us through this breathing exercise just to try to help us pray without ceasing to focus and meditate on Christ presence in God's presence on Psalm 42 that God is be still and know that I am God and so he said think in terms of the early church used to think in terms of when you breathe in utero remind yourself of the truth that God is with me because we breathe in and out all day long we got is with me and that moment that you have to pause before you edit an Excel. They would say Enjoy the presence of God that's on my mind. I would say when I breathe in I would say thank you God that you're with me and then it's a peek of that before I can Excel I would say hi because we're supposed to enjoy God's presence not just a firm Doctrine. And so the challenge is to live out these truths of scripture that God is with us. Every moment of the day to thank him for his present we talked about this couple weeks ago and you will hear me make this mistake again. I guarantee you but we often mistakenly pray consistently God. Please be with us, right we pray that our Lord if you'll just be with us too much going on a trip or just be with them. If you'll just be with this person if you'll just be with that person, but actually scripture says God is with us. We don't need to keep asking for his present or praying for his present. We need to focus with faith and believe and trust in the reality of his presence. So even that little exercise Every Breath You Take if you can put that on your mind and say thank you God for being with me. Hi at the top of that bread to focus on that present reality and enjoying his presence. And then as you Excel, he said cast all your cares upon Him and so as I asked how I was trying to practice the thought of what I'm worried about I give to you in that alone. Just a great little discipline and end in even if you can't do it every moment of the day. What did you said? I'll do it for a couple of moments when I first wake up. Or thank you that you're with me today. Morning. Everything I'm worried about I give to you. Wouldn't we need to practice what we believe we need to practice the verses that we so cherish and a firm that that we've been raised with Christ and that he is with us. We need to learn how to practically apply those scriptures to our live so that we're living based on reality. We're living based on the fact that we have been raised with Christ and that Christ is with us. And so these simple devotional thoughts God is with me and all that. I do I have the strength wisdom and all the provision that I need. And then last week Caleb priest when I was out of town, so if you have been raised with Christ seek, the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God and he shared last week about that passage where it talks about. The reality is that Christ is seated with God and in the scriptures that the image of seated means it's because you've completed your work you don't sit down and to whatever you were signed to do is done. And so when Paul talks about Christ is seated in heaven at the right hand of the father is because he completed the work he was assigned to do the same language on the cross when Jesus says it is finished. He's referring to the completion of that work. He has provided for our sins to be covered. He has conquered death and then resurrected and now he is seated at the right hand of the father. And so you might say what's he doing if he seated at the right hand of the father. Is there a little table little iron table right there, you know, is he playing dominoes, you know between now and all of eternity waiting for the final call to come down. An issue judgment scripture says that what he's doing there during this time is that he's praying for us. I'm an amazing. The Christ This Moment is your Advocate that he's praying for you that he's advocating on the father's behalf for our sins to be covered by his righteousness and for a hearts and lives to be open in such a way that he can find a greater and greater home and who we are but he can shape our character and shape Us in the way. He always intended for us to be shape so that our lives are blessed and so that we become a blessing for others and so he's praying for us now, he's not playing anything we want. You know, when we say Lord, I'd like a new car and I like this he's praying what I just talked about. He's praying that what is best for us would happen in our hearts and minds and Spirits in our very lives that we would grow in Christ likeness that we would grow in fellowship with a father that we would love to believe and trust in place our faith in God the Father the way he did in the way he modeled in the gospels. He could encounter circumstances and instead of being overwhelmed by the circumstances. Let's pray. For this person the way healing could come through him three answer to prayer could come to him if he wants us to have the kind of relationship with the father that he had with a father he wants you and I not to be overwhelmed by life and not only that he wants us to be Victor's he wants us to go to come along something besides besides somebody and pray for them and for healing to occur. And we never hear that do we especially the restoration movement? Sometimes we are so rational and I love the restoration movement and I love the rational part of our movement. But sometimes were so terrified of the Holy Spirit sometimes were so terrified of Pentecostalism or some sort of spirituality that we overcompensate and we go to The Other Extreme and make sure we remain clearly and here's the word and I study and understand it and I'll just move on But there is a holy spirit that desires to dwell within us and work through us and God wants us to walk on this Earth the way Christ walk on the earth. He wants us to be people who can bring light and love and forgiveness to others that we can Proclaim God's forgiveness to them that we can share the good news. He wants us to have that kind of what he wants to bless us was praying about that. We would become more and more who God created us to be so that we could be a light to this world so that we could be salt to this world. So that amazing truth that crisis praying for us the holy spirit's also praying for us. Did you know that not only is Christ seated at the right hand of the father with work completed on our behalf and advocating praying for us scripture also says in Romans 8 that when we don't know what to pray when we can't find the words I took put put things into words our hearts may be so heavy so broken, we may know we may not know what to say. How did we may be so angry or bitter? Set or depressed or overwhelmed. We don't know what to do and scripture says that the holy spirit will come alongside us inside her heart and will Advocate with God the father on our behalf and we'll word things in ways that we can't quite work. Even when we don't know what to pray we can say Lord. I don't know what to pray. Holy Spirit you you know, you know and so I can I bring my heart to you. Because sometimes the things that we may be wishing is going to happen. The thing that we may want to happen may not be the best thing our wisdom may be limited. Is that possible that our wisdom is limited that our site is limited. And so we learn to depend and Trust upon God. So if you have been raised with Christ seek, the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, Jesus Paid It All and now he's praying for all this is another reason that nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. And so we camped at these themes the past few weeks and I want introduce the next verse this morning. Paul says so if you've been raised with Christ seek, the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God, then he continues set your minds on things that are above not on things that are on Earth for you have died. And your life is hidden with Christ in God now next Sunday morning. I want to take on that phrase hidden with Christ in God and meditate the sermon next Sunday will kind of be a meditation. I want us to meditate and reflect upon that truth. That seems like a mystery at first. What does it mean that our lives are hidden? And we'll talk about that next Monday morning this Sunday morning. I want to talk about something very practical the beginning of that verse where he says because of these Troost because we've been raised with Christ and because we're with him because he's advocating for us because of these truths set your minds on the things above and that's something we can do. That's not necessarily full of mystery Romans. 8:5 says the same sort of thing for those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit set their minds on the things of the spirit. We can choose what we set our minds on. One thing I like about the devotional this week that like I said we've been reading is he uses us alone allergy. It's like setting a radio station. We can choose what we set our minds on WE hop in the car and we can choose the station that we're going to listen to and the same way we can choose what we set our minds on. Do you agree? We can choose what television channels we want. Look if we want our minds to be very focused on our homes. We can watch HGTV 24/7, right? And this may not save sound very manly but I'll just be honest. I've done that before it's amazing how addictive some of those shows can be there. They're so well edited and suddenly you find yourself watching One show after another and then you start thinking that we need a better porch on the back of our house if we need to get a patio out here and we don't want we should totally not this one wall down and suddenly your mind. Guess what? You set your mind on your home because of that TV show you can't dwell on it. You can get in your car and turn the radio on and you can you can find some 80's music if you're my age, you know, it may be 70s music if you're older, you know, it may be 90s music if you are younger, but you can find some of that music I from your date and turn on before you know what you're just thinking about things back in the day, right? And if you think about it, you realize only in these lyrics you're horrible at I've been singing along for about 10 minutes, but suddenly you're mine has been on those things.

We can set our mind on what we want to set our mind on.

now

the reason gossip

Is such a heartbreaking sin in the life of the church? It's because of the way we set our minds on things that we should not.

Christ died for us We are resurrected with him. Given New Life he's seated at the father's right-hand praying for us and some pauses because of these fantastic truth these wonderful truth the grace of God and set your minds on things above what but sometimes we can just lock our minds in on things below. You know, and I know and I thought about this in in a way that I've never realized before it occurred to me that that's why gossip is such a serious sin in the life of the church and it's such a heartbreaking send in the life of the church. I mean sometimes instead of getting together with another sister or another brother in Christ and saying in an amazing the thought that Christ is praying for me. I mean on a week when I'm way down and I'm having I don't know what to do. I'm so glad to be reminded of that truth and collages that Christ is praying for me. What a great. What a great thing to talk about. What a great thing to share among Brothers and Sisters in Christ and to encourage one another. Do you see how office it is and what a victory the devil gets when instead we get together and we gossip. Did you see what someone so was wearing this morning? I really didn't think that was the proprietary. Yeah, that's not the first time that I've seen her wear that kind of thing too. And she works with the kids. Sometimes she really shouldn't and I heard that the she was in another and before you know, what you're investing all this energy away from Christ.

And then you say things like it on my church just doesn't feed me. And I just don't get fed. I'm going to look for another church one. That feeds me a little bit of skin on my pastor. I just don't think I don't like him that much. You know, I want to find a church where the pastor is a little nicer. Maybe maybe he'll shake my hand more quickly, or maybe you know, they just don't preach the Bible. You know, I just need to charge it preaches the Bible. Oh, by the way, did you hear about so until they were coming out of a counseling place together? I knew that they were having marriage problems.

I heard about that. I heard that that the leadership the church did that thing that they did that we didn't like I heard they did it on purpose just to make us man. And can you believe that? They're just feel my church just don't feed me. I mean think about how that must break the Father's Heart. Christ is at God's right hand praying that we would become christ-like that we would take on the passions that he has that we would love the Lost. Sometimes the church isn't about the Lord's business because we got to be about all kinds of other stuff. That is not the Lord's business. Sometimes we have an opportunity to witness to somebody to be kind of somebody but instead somebody else who says well, if you don't don't give them your attention. They're not even a member. I need your attention. Somebody parked in my parking place and I need you to do something is missing that was here the other day and I need you to spend your energy. I honestly can we be surprised that the church has become ineffective in North America in the past few decades. Can we be surprised sometimes we say well something like these sins are worse than others gossip just this little since it is a big sin. And when you engage in Gossip you turn your back on Christ.

I'm not saying to say oh, I want you to feel bad. I'm trying to poke you and make you feel guilty. I'm saying that with a broken heart because Christ wants you to turn and face him. He wants you to know that he's praying for you that he's your Advocates that he desires for your heart to be free of that need to get some sort of self-satisfaction out of gossiping. He wants your heart to be free of that needs to Puff yourself up by putting other people down. He wants your heart to be free in him. He want you to have confidence in him. If he wants to be full of joy. He wants you to be his beautiful bride it breaks his heart to see all of us in any of us me included when we go down these little pass of self-satisfaction and self service that turns ourselves away from him and prevents us from being the light. I mean, let's be honest, right how many people do you know have an interest in Jesus, but they're just not sure what they think about the church.

And usually it's because they've heard about what some sort of Gossip some sort of fight some sort of split in the church, right? Am I being unfair? Are churches known to split? Are they enough honestly? You really going to get me free to know I get people to come to me sex will you know, we have to be more like this church and why don't we do this way? This church does a research and and it breaks my heart because so many churches in Lexington have only grown as a result of division and splits and other churches. You can look at the history of the past 30 or 40 years. Did they get that with 12th? Their Pastor used to be over at this church and then they had a splint so he left and went to that church and all the car gation came with him. And that's yours got big about 20 years of that something went wrong. So he left and he went to the Southern church and people came with him there and it happened to get in the crowd just moves around. We just move sheep from pin-to-pin. And call it growth and then we said why won't my church to be like that church. Hell no.

We're supposed to be reaching the lost and instead we spend our time cuddling the found. Over and over again. I'm not don't miss hear me. I am not trying to be mean spirited and put some burden on your shoulders and say you need to feel bad. You need to straighten up when I'm saying is it breaks my heart it breaks God's heart it breaks Jesus Hearts because he want what he wants for us is to be a people full of joy and love he wants us to be attractive to this world around us. He wants to reveal his goodness. He wants others to say I want what they've got. They don't seem to have this need fuel to impress people with what they own or with the secret information. They can share that they can whisper. They don't need to impress people with the attendance numbers or this that are the other how their Pastor dresses are. They just they just have this freedom. But they can enjoy each moment that they can love anybody who crosses their path without assessing them first. I mean don't even get me started on politics. If you know me personally, you know, I happen to be very conservative politically, but I become increasingly convinced that my love of conservative politics is a sin in my life. Because I let it cause me to prejudge People based on their politics.

So what I'm preaching this I'm preaching it to me two people. Okay, I'm not trying just to throw a wet blanket on everybody. I look in the mirror and I know in my heart that I have send. But I peg people that I categorize people based on things that scripture does not affirm and does not ask me to categorize people based on how their dress or if their politics or anything else on something. I kind of figure I know that person ever do that. Now you're now you're adding lying to you. We we we do that. We kind of we kind of peg people. And God wants his dad to bring this great freedom to us and it is within our power to do it. That's the good news. Do you understand? The goodness of that good news that I just said.

It is within our power to change that.

This is not one of those easier said than done things Pastor. It is within our power to change. It is within our power to change the church in Lexington.

Think about that. It is within our power to change Hillandale and don't mishear me. There are a lot of fantastic and wonderful things about Hillandale and a lot of things that I would never change in a million years because they are very much what Christ wants to do with his doing through this church. But there's things we could get better at right there's areas of our life that we could grow more fully in. Our hearts could be more tune to those who don't know the Lord and it is within our power to change that because we can choose where we set our minds. How to make one thing clear legitimate concerns I want to hear and Leadership wants to hear so I'm not trying to Snuff out any legitimate concern and if you're not sure it's legitimate are on the side of coming to me and saying hey this worries me a little bit. Can you help me understand it? We want that? Okay, so so don't miss hear me when I say sometimes we get off on Sidetrack. I'd rather not hear it 5 minutes before I'm getting ready to preach, but I want to hear it. I want to hear it. So don't buy it. I want to hear things that were concerned about things. We need to do better things that are concerns in the life of the church. I want to hear at the elders want to hear a side don't want to be Miss understood this morning.

But in the dominance of Our Lives we can choose where we focus our minds and we can choose to focus on the negative or the positive we can choose to focus on what we didn't get our way or what blessings we do have we can choose to focus on ourselves or we can choose to focus on those who don't know the Lord we can set our mind on the things above instead of the things below. It's not just church life. I mean how many people get discouraged over your finances?

How many people wish they had a bigger house or better house or bigger car or better car? How many people wish you were thinner? You're my boo get a little truth here this morning, huh? You wish you were thinner. Never ever got up in January and thought I might lose some weight this year dog on it. We have so many things in this world that that we that dominate our Focus where we get focused on. Well, I saw this better house and it made me think my house wasn't as good. I saw this better car that made me think I needed I saw this thinner person and I thought and suddenly our minds can be obsessed with those things and it can wreak have it in our personal life. Not just our corporate lice. And so the challenge is set your mind on the things above not the things below. How many times can we get obsessed with you for me? Say this and I say it because it's so true. How how many people here? Let's be honest. It's just us. There's no cameras anywhere at all. Right how many people here I've ever had to spend an extended. Of time trying to decide where to eat with a group.

In a crazy week we can put so much energy into that. I don't know where I had Mexican yesterday. I want Mexican today. I mean think about how spoiled we are when we and I'm at the top of this. I believe me. I'm not preaching to you. I'm preaching at me think of the house where we are when we have to spend 10 minutes to figure out where to eat because I had that I hadn't had a tan on Friday night there one time they wouldn't great. So I won't go there again. We just have those conversations become little Foodies. You know, where life is about me and I want the nest next level of experience. I want a restaurant that I'll just knock my socks off and our lives can so easily become so tiny in their focus when God calls us to raise her head and look up and realize that we've been raised raised with Christ who sits at the right hand of the father praying advocating for you and I and we were invited to set our minds on things above. This very day, you can make a difference in someone else's life for eternity. You realize that?

Just by having your radar up. You don't know who the Lord will bring across your path today who needs a word for the Lord who needs an encouragement who who is during counter. Would you might lead them to go to church this church or maybe another church. We don't care what church just a church that preaches Jesus.

Think about is that a little bigger than what you're going to have for lunch. Or when you get to return that shirt for one that you like better cuz you this one just done and I mean, it's like it's the shirts fault not mine. I got to get a different shirt that will solve all my problems if I could just get a new shirt. It's amazing how our minds can be suddenly drawn to those things instead of setting our minds on the things above Paul says in Philippians 4:8 finally beloved. Whatever is true. Whatever is Honorable, whatever is just whatever is pure whatever is pleasing. Whatever is commendable if there's any Excellence if there's anything worthy of Praise think about these things,

How would that change your life if we all Embrace that verse this week? How many people been watching the news this week? How many been watching the conventions this week? It is hard to obey that verse when you're watching politics. Didn't you just get full of either inappropriate overzealous agreement or inappropriate overzealous disagreement you either cheering the TV and our minds are not on what is true and honorable and just and pure and pleasing commendable and excellent. Instead were obsessed with partisan thoughts and convictions. Has anybody ever have their conversation to get kind of dominated by politics? What happened? They were suddenly in a heated exchange where you're trying to win the argument didn't even occur to you that Lord might have introduced you that person to win them. Our minds can get focus on the things down here so easily and were invited to set our minds on the things above.

This week. Here's your homework. Pick one of these things and set your mind on these things. About how about just 10 minutes? Is that reasonable? Sometime between now and next Sunday, you will take 10 minutes and pick one of these topics or versus and meditate on it that a reasonable homework assignment. What if you did 10 minutes everyday, could it shape your day? Could it shape the spirit in which you encounter other people would would I go out into the world and when I see other people I wouldn't think that person's going to get in line ahead of me. And I'm in a hurry what I've said see that person differently and think that person looks like a worn-out. Maybe I should let them in line ahead of me. But I see people the way Christ sees them and therefore would there be opportunities to make a difference in someone's life because of the way I see them. You see how the very priest presuppositions that we rise in the morning with the very thoughts on our alarm will shape our experience of the entire day. That person got in front of us or we had the opportunity to pray quietly and silently for someone who looked worn out in the line in front of it. Is that shape your day a little bit. Do you think you'll leave the grocery store with a better Spirit? If you leave thinking that stupid person got in front of me and they took forever and then they got a checkbook out who uses a checkbook tonight. And so then I had to write a check to know what grandma you got the check on you.

Then I get my car and I'm going to drive faster all the way to work. I'm going to ride somebody's bumper and guess what? I'm doing. I'm paying it forward baby that person looking in the mirror going towards this person right now.

How would my day be different if I walk into the grocery store and I spent some time meditating on these sorts of truce and I saw that person step in front of me, and it said I thought I bet they didn't see me. assume the best about them and as I stood there I thought boy they look they look tired. For all I know they just came from the ER at 3 in the morning.

Who knows what's going on? I don't know. tomato preformed

and I check out when I get my car. How's my day different? Lord, thank you. They help me see something. I wouldn't normally see. And then maybe it changes the way I drive to work, right? Somebody stops at the red light right in front of me and instead of thinking. Play best that I think that's okay. I will pray for that person to I pray for that person this morning. I will pray for another person or bless that person in the tank you Lord that they stopped who knows I could have gone through the yellow light right behind them and got smashed by somebody. Maybe it's a blessing that I didn't know about Lord. I Thank You For This How would our days be different if we use the power that we have the power of choice to set our minds on the things above?

If that was your radio station during the day. Where are you? Help me help me see the ways. You're working around me. Help me be reminded of the truth that you're with me at every moment. What if we focused on Christ was raised from the grave the reality of the Resurrection the reality of death being defeated that you are raised with Christ or that Christ is seated with God praying for you. So when you pray you're not just praying to God all on your praying with Christ in God the father he's praying with you. So then you might say wait a minute maybe instead of praying that I have one of those houses like the one I saw on HGTV in my for our viewing session on Saturday. Maybe maybe I don't pray about that maybe instead. I say Jesus that you're praying with me, aren't you? So, what should we pray for?

And maybe he brings people to your mind that you wouldn't have brought to your mind. Maybe you're praying longer than you would have ever thought you would have been able to pray. And you're praying for things that matter for eternity. Just because you took the time to focus Romans eight ones another great verse to meditate on there's no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus Romans 8 38 and 39. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Ephesians, 2:8 and 10 were saved by faith so that we can do we can do the good works that God has prepared ahead of time for us you realize that that there might be good works that God has prepared for Laura ahead of time. I mean, he's got that kind of wisdom. I believe in human free will but it's obvious. He can still orchestrate all kinds of things and he could have stuff planned out for next Thursday and he's waiting for Laura to get up at all the pressure on Lower soil or this applies to all of us. He's waiting for her to get up that morning is it is in the morning when she's going to spend some time sending her mind on things above so that when she gets to that appointment at 9:59 that morning and something weird is going on at the doctor's appointment or whatever. She's doing she's got a sensitive Spirit to say hey when you go first Or I can I can I help you? Or something or maybe would be so bold to say to somebody this may sound strange, but I just feel compelled can can I pray for you? And we talked about the 10-second rule back in June. Anybody remember that my wife applied it this week? And so she told me about her client. I can't believe I'm going to say this. But anyway, I guess how much are they? I have lunch plans.

I'm not kidding gif. Yeah, I had to buy the 10-second rule last night because I had a spat with my spouse. I know I know it's hard to believe that that even the preacher that even I knew we would have a disagreement or we would get along. I was downright rude. To my wife and I was full of Pride and anger. And so I decided I would run some errands and get things done and I decided I was going to come home late. day by day by relate to this So I went and picked up something. She's leaving town for a week today. So I went and picked up something and I was mad and I really didn't have a great reason to be mad. I was just mad and I like myself anybody relate to that. I'm selfish at times. I like my way. I like to win arguments. I like to be the one that said we're going to do it this way. I'll be doggone if I wouldn't sit in my car. I'm a spiritual warfare. I'm sitting in the parking lot in my car and I'm trying to decide whether to go see a movie just to stay out longer as a way of thinking or whether I should just go back home in the stupid voice in my head said what about the 10-second rule? I said that the stupid voice cuz it's my voice in my head and it said shut up and said that what about the 10-second rule, what would Christ have you do? You know the answer to that question don't hesitate do what you would not even have me go buy flowers and go home and apologize to my wife, but that's a stupid thing to do because that hurts my pride and my ego and so I battled probably for 15 minutes before I finally reluctantly drove to Walmart to buy some flowers and go home and they didn't have any flowers. I bought chocolate so a bag a chocolate home

If we don't take the time to set our minds on things above if we don't if I hadn't read that book if I hadn't preach that sermon about the 10-second rule who knows that that that may not have floated to the top of my Consciousness to get me to say, you know, what you need to do. You need to do the right thing in this moment and you make the decision do it right now quit lollygagging lollygagging is a way of not doing it. And so I'm going to challenge you with the 10-second rule. Okay, you may know right now what you need to do to set your mind on things above. There might be a gossip partner that you need to say to you know, what I apologize for my role in our conversations and I really need your help and not being part of it anymore. Let's not have those kind of conversations anymore in it. But I'm telling you right now ask the Lord if that's what you need to do. There may be garbage in your house. You may have stuff hidden on your computer. Hidden somewhere in your house that you set your mind on it times and you know, you need to get rid of it. Make that decision right now. If you need to pull a friend aside this morning and say hey. I've got a decision. I need to make I want to give you all the details, but you call me tonight. Hold me accountable if I made that decision. It might it might be as simple as getting rid of cable.

right It could be that you've been to watch HGTV the way I do not anymore getting two babies in her home this past year has completely changed. Are viewing habits I sleeping for the TV. I never watch it anymore. But you may decide there's things in your life that you need to propel or get rid of because you end up setting your mind on those things. You understand that you have the power to change this.

And we can't do everything but this is one thing we can do we can choose where we set our minds and what we set our minds on.

Each day. I must decide where to set my mind. If I set it on the truce of God, I will be happy and holy and strong. Therefore. I will choose to set my mind on the things of the spirit this day. I'm about to worship him to come forward. Will close at these verses so if you have been raised with Christ seek, the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God set your minds Minds on things that are above not on things that are on Earth for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

That's our invitation this morning.

The set our minds on things above now if if you have a decision to make if you if you need to make a decision to follow the lord, then I'm bite you during the song to do that. That would be part of setting your mind on things above the Lord might have been working in your heart and in your mind for weeks now to get you to make this decision. And so if you have a decision to make please come forward during the song If you want to come to the back, I'll be in the back. You can come play with me in the back will also have it for her team members up and come pray with them. You may just have a prayer concern or decision. Either way. We want you to come speak to us or pull me aside or another leave your side after the service and talk to them. but for all of us If you're doing this well already if you're setting your mind on things above already then why don't you make this commitment? Will you find someone else and help them set their mind on things above this week? Maybe you're you're doing it well already which is very likely for many here. And maybe you can say to somebody else. You know, what I do is I put a scripture on my mirror in the morning and went when I'm getting ready to help me help me get my mind on that scripture or or maybe my spouse and I we make sure we pray everyday together before we leave the home. Are We Gather our thoughts whatever disciplines are practices you have maybe you can come alongside somebody else and help them set their minds on things about any of your struggling with that then make the decision that you're going to set your mind on things above this week. There's great. Christian books. You can read I am I am an unending resource. I've got DVDs and audios and books if you're looking for something come to me and I'll put some in your hand you say, you know, what instead of HGTV. Love HGTV, I won't pick on that one didn't come to condemn others, but you might say, you know, what one night this week. I'm going to watch an hour-long Christian something. Movie R lesson or documentary, set my mind on things above I want to use that to shape my thoughts and stir my thoughts.

We make that commitment. Maybe it's just he's versus we write Colossians 3 1 through 3. Maybe you just read those every day this week and you meditate on them.

Wayside

let's pray and then we'll sing. Who singing Amazing Grace? Is that right? Let's let's say a prayer.

Father we eat we need you.

We need your help. We're not strong on our own. And our minds can get overwhelmed by the news. It can be easily. That we slip into the stream of gossip.