Untitled Sermon (2)

Set Your Affections (Thoughts) on Things Above

New Living Translation Chapter 1

22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it.

Colossians 2:5 (NLT)

5 For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong.

Colossians 2:6 (NLT)

6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.

Colossians 3:1–2 (NLT)

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

The Heavenly-Minded Christian

Colossians 3:12–17 (NLT)

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

The Spirit will never go beyond where the mind allows it.

Before we can get our spirits right…we have to get our minds right.

Romans 12:2 (NLT)

2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Set Your Sights on Things Above

Jesus gives off a list in Luke 21 that honestly seems like it might be a copy and paste from CNN’s trending stories.

New Living Translation Chapter 21

“Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven.

New Living Translation Chapter 21

25 “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. 26 People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. 28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

New Living Translation Chapter 21

“Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. 30 When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. 31 In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near.

It could be another four hundred years until Jesus comes....but it could also happen any minute.

Moments of trouble when viewed through the lens of prophecy are intended to drive us to a place of reflection and preparation…not a place of fear.

Have you ever noticed how Christian apocalyptic movies tend to try to be some weird form of the horror movie genre.

We have associated the warning of Jesus and the prophecies of Revelation with something that should scare us

1 Thessalonians 4:16–18 (NLT)

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.

If you are following Jesus…whether this is the end of the world or just a bump on the road in the story of history…fear has no place in our hearts.

When you know Jesus what insights fear in the hearts of many will bring comfort to us.

If you don’t know Jesus…you can.