Our Calling is to be Heavenly-Minded - Zac Poonen - June 5, 2019

[Music] turn to Colossians in Chapter three Colossians chapter 3 one of the great truths that we read in the Bible is that when Jesus died on the cross we died with him it's difficult for our minds to comprehend that but when we recognize that with God there is no such thing as time we talk about past present future and the death of Christ is in the past and we're living in the present but with God there is no past present or future time is all one for him and that's very difficult for us to understand but that is why the Bible says that before God created the heavens and the earth he could choose each one of his children by name even though they were going to live thousands and thousands of years later and so God in his foreknowledge he could look right into the future and see each one of us who's given our life to Christ and he picks us because we responded it's not that he picked names randomly but because he saw that we were going to respond to him thousands of years later it says the Bible says he puts our name in his book in the book of life so then our names were in the book of life before the foundation of the world and [Music] then when Christ died on the cross all the people whose names were in the book of life already in God's mind and God put all of them with Christ on the cross because they were all in his mind in any case so that's how we believe that in Christ I was also there crucified with him and raised up with him when he buried with him raised up with him now many Christians don't see the this is the real meaning of baptism and that's why infant sprinkling is such a deception because it takes away the death and resurrection and burial and resurrection real baptism is a burial and a resurrection and raised up with Christ it's very important for us to understand this most Christians concentrate only on the fact that Christ died for us but we don't think much of the fact that we are crucified as Christ and raised up with him so it says here if you have been raised up with Christ Colossians 3 verse 1 what should be the result of that then keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God so when I'm in Christ it's not only that I died with him on the cross or that I was buried with him I was also raised up with him because I was in God's mind and then if you turn to Ephesians and chapter 2 it says Ephesians chapter two that were 6 when he raised us up with Christ he seated us with Christ in the heavenly places in Christ now that's not in the future now most of us think we are going to be in heavenly places in the future but see what the Bible says crucified with him raised up with him and that when he ascended because I'm in Christ my union with Christ never changes you know when you're gripped by this and you allow your human way of thinking to die and begin to think like God things which is in the scripture he knew me let me repeat he knew me before the worlds were created and he chose me in Christ and when Christ died I died with him because I was in Christ and when I was when Christ was buried I was buried when he Christ was raised up I was raised up because I'm in him and when Christ ascended and is seated at the right hand of God I'm still in Christ and that's why it says in Colossians now if you don't believe that then of course Colossians 3 has got no value if you have been raised up with Christ and you're seated with Christ in the heavenly places then seek those things which are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God and we are in him and therefore there that is why we set our mind on the things above and not other things on earth because I my life I've died to this life and I'm hidden with Christ in God I believe this is the main reason why many Christians remain defeated and they have such a struggle to give up their attachment to earthly things because they haven't taken their position as dead with Christ now if you could think of a man who is physically dead here he is not attached to anything on earth he's finished to he he was maybe four years attached to earthly things but the moment he's died dead it's over he's no more bothered about the opinion of his earthly friends whether they praise him or criticize him his connection with the earth is broken now the wonderful message of the gospel is not just that my sins can be forgiven and I remain as an earth we person but that my sins can be forgiven and that my connection with the earth can be broken while I'm living here and that is why because I'm seated with Christ in the heavenly places I can keep my mind set on the things that are above and when I accept that position in Christ then it is easy if I recognize that I have died verse 3 and my life is hidden with Christ in God so then this verse in 1 John chapter 2 and verse 6 which you'll never find preachers talking about this verse because as soon as they read it this is impossible 1 John 2:6 the one who says he abides in Christ that means I've recognized that I am in Christ then I must walk in the same manner as he walked so in what way did he walk now immediately a lot of people think that he raised the dead and walked on the water that's not the point the point is that he walked on earth as a heavenly man a man whose mind though he walked on the earth his mind was set in heaven and pleasing God and if I take that position in Christ then I recognized that my calling is to be a heavenly minded person in everything I do it says it where God detaches me from the things of this earth for all of them the Bible says that the devil is the prince of this world and he tempted Jesus not only when he was at home the three temptations mentioned in the wilderness but throughout his life and throughout his life is not just that he tempted him to say but he tried to tempt him to get his mind on earthly things you know he said if you bow down to me I'll give you this hold all the glory of this world and do you think Jesus was even tempted by that not at all if somebody offered Jesus a billion dollars he wouldn't be tempted by it some all the honor in the world didn't tempt him so it was a very foolish temptation the devil tried on Jesus bound me I'll give you everything in the world I mean he didn't have any interest in anything on this world on this earth except to save people and bring them into God's kingdom and that's why at the end of his life he said in john 14 jesus said to his disciples in John 14 and verse 30 the last part of that verse the ruler of this world and that's the devil Jesus himself acknowledged that the ruler of this world is Satan Jesus has got all authority on a heaven and earth but the ruler of this world is Satan those are from Jesus own mouth he acknowledges and even today the ruler of this earth is Satan so the ruler of this world has come and he has nothing in me as a tremendous testimony in those words for thirty three and a half years the ruler of this world tried to put something of his world into Jesus mind and he didn't succeed he never succeeded he has nothing in me there's not a single area where the devil could succeed in putting something of the values of this world into the mind of Jesus Christ so when we say we want to follow Jesus and become like him this is the challenge humanly speaking is impossible that's why we need the Holy Spirit to try and remove from my mind all the attachments that I have for the things of the earth which are in my flesh and which I've lived for years enjoying and being attached to and then now to have zero interest in them that's humanly speaking impossible and that's why most Christians live with the gospel of Jesus forgives my sin that's about it so I believe the second part of the gospel that not only Christ died for my sins that I died with Christ and was buried with him and raised up with him and ascended with him he's a part of the gospel which is a major part of the gospel it is almost not preached I mean you can ask yourself how many times have you heard a sermon on being raised up with Christ and being seated in the heavenly places I know in my life I know heard anyone speak on what is there in Scripture and it's one part of the gospel that's hidden many people have felt that it's in the years when the Roman Catholics were proclaiming the gospel they never proclaimed the salvation was by faith in me that that is a great thing that finally the Protestant church came up proclaiming salvation by faith that was just the beginning but a major part of the gospel has never been proclaimed for centuries and that is the reason for the shallowness of our life and if I don't recognize this truth and I try to obey the Scriptures I will find it a constant challenge and difficulty and that's why a lot of Christians you know even in our churches who listen to the standards of the gospel they try this sincerely try but they never come there because they have not taken their place which God has given them in Christ you know just like our eyes need to be opened one day to see that all my sins were placed on Christ I never saw it I never saw Jesus dying on the cross I never saw my sins being placed on him on the cross I have accepted it 100% by faith and that's how all of you have accepted it - and you're absolutely sure that your sins are forgiven you don't have any doubt about it in the same way you can be absolutely sure that you also your old man was crucified with Christ and you're raised up to be a new person and that spiritually speaking God is already transported you to heaven so that you look at earthly things the way Jesus looked at them for Paul this was a very real thing and when you see a challenge like this in the gospel in the New Testament we must not rest until it becomes real in our life just like the assurance of salvation for many many years I never had assurance of salvation that my sins are forgiven even that basic thing but I would not have progressed in my life if I didn't get that assurance and I'm thankful that I got that assurance one day my sins are all forgiven absolutely sure that nobody could take it out of my mind and not only that I was forgiven that God has blotted it out that's such a relief to know that all my past is not only forgiven but that God doesn't even remember it in the same way once I am convinced about this other truth like Paul was that God has placed me in Christ and cut me off from the world that connection is broken then we'll be able to say like Paul in Galatians 6:14 in Galatians 6 in verse 14 he says I will not glory in anything except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ because by that cross the world has been crucified to me and I have been crucified to the world we all know what a big struggle it is for us - when the Bible says love not the world or the things in the world it is a tremendous struggle for most Christians as a struggle to give up the love of money or the love of the praise of men or the love of sinful pleasure the Bible even speaks in Philippians 3 about some people whose stomach is their God the love of good food to such an extent that it has become an idol the Bible speaks about food becoming an idol in Philippians 3 verse 19 onwards and money is an idol for many people position and honor but Paul says I've died that leg that dead man is not a slave to anything that this world can attract him try to attract him with Paul says it's as real my crucifixion of the world no I believe he's speaking the truth and like the Living Bible says I have this verse he reads like this I have now as little interest in this world I said that man has it's quite a paraphrase that's really what it means I have as little interest in this world as a dead man has is that something we read and say Lord I want to be like that that is the real Christian life many of our problems anxieties fears will go when we take that place place and even if it takes a while to get there say Lord I want to get I want to get to that place where Paul's testimony is mine that I live in the world but nothing in this world attracts me what God gives me I take if he gives me little I'm happy I don't compare myself with somebody else who has more I don't feel it's impossible to be jealous of somebody who has more honor or more wealth or more good-looking than I am so many things Christians are disturbed by because there are the things of the world have an attraction for him his sins are forgiven but he's never allowed this to be crucified with Christ to the world and so he's constantly struggling and constantly defeated and he's hoping one day maybe I will experience his life that some other Christians talk about he'll never experience it if you don't ask God to make this real in your life Lord make it real to in my life that as Christ died I've died and as he rose up when he was detached from the world I've been detached and I've been seated with Christ in the heavenly places the world is no more any attraction for me and so like it says in Colossians 3 the worst we started with that your mind be set on the things that are above and not on those things on the earth so I look at it like this it's like you know when you go up in an aeroplane so many other things on earth become very very small houses look like tiny smaller than toy houses so many people are concerned about the good house and when you get up into the air it's not much difference between that big house in the small one so many people are interested in the type of car they're gonna buy you got up into the air right about thirty thousand feet there's not much difference between these fancy cars and the ordinary ones they're all small little small teeny-weeny dots on the ground I believe that's what happens when we move up into the heavenly places everything on earth becomes very small and the things of eternity become more real and I believe that's why God has given us the Holy Spirit to lift us up into that place with Christ so that I look at everything from heavens standpoint there are many things which we can say which are attractive on the earth money physical pleasure the honor of men and all of these things could never attract Jesus he was tempted it'll rolled off him like water off a duck's back because he was heavenly minded throughout and our service for God can never be what it should be if I do not take this heavenly heavenly position this is the main difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant we talk about being a New Covenant Church and we speak so much about the New Covenant perhaps more than any other Church but what is the essential difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is it is not just that in the Old Covenant they had forgiveness of sins Psalm 103 bless the Lord O my soul who forgives all your sins in the New Covenant we have victory over sin you shall call his name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins Matthew 1:21 but more than that the entire Old Covenant from Genesis to Malachi was an earthly covenant every blessing that God promised to Israel every one of them from A to Z was earthly they would have earthly wealth there are many earthly children they would have earthly prosperity and lands and cattle and they'd have victory over earthly enemies the everything was a Earth is not a single promise there in the entire Old Covenant of anything heavenly zero healing was earthly from earthly sicknesses and the whole thing shifts in the new covenant to heavenly that now it's heavenly wealth not earthly wealth and that's why Jesus and Paul in Orland very little earthly wealth but they were extremely rich with heavenly well and whereas it's not primarily physical healing it's probably the people in Israel probably experienced more healing than Christians of experience a lot of Christians godly Christians are saying the greatest Apostle Paul he himself was sick and yet there were tremendous promises under the Old Covenant that God would heal sicknesses what Paul was never healed because it's not physical sickness as the main thing it's spiritual sickness even this verse is a verse in Isaiah 53 which is quoted in 1 Peter you know it's a well-known verse 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 24 by His stripes we have been healed see that's a Old Testament quotation from Isaiah 53 and verse 5 by His stripes we are healed as the worse than a lot of Panico souls caught to tell people you're healed and 99.9% of them are not healed how can that be that a scripture is not fulfilled because they are miss coating it here it says read carefully 1 Peter 2 verse 24 he bore our sins in his body on the cross so that we might die to sin what are we to die to not sickness but to sin and live to righteousness not to physical health but righteousness because his wounds have healed you wounds have healed you from what from sin to be righteous it is so crystal clear in that verse how that which was physical healing in the Old Testament is spiritual healing now I'm not saying God doesn't heal but if you don't look at scripture exactly like it says we will be believing in unreal gospel does Jesus heal this heal the sick he does but not everyone and you look around you see it's true and you look in there in your own life I mean if I confess my sin today this moment my sin is forgiven immediately there's not a slightest doubt about it if we confess our sins he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness I don't have to wait one second for my sin to be forgiven now if the promise of healing which many Pentecostals and charismatics preach is like that the moment he prays in faith he should be healed but it never happens and yet they blindly keep on believing it they see no keep confessing confessing it it'll happen maybe after one year or something like that's a lot of rubbish God in mercy does heal I know that I have experienced it myself in answer to prayer but it's a fact that he doesn't heal everybody there are multitudes of sick people of godly Christians or paralyzed and have got sicknesses why aren't they heal there are ten times more godly than many other people who are healthy it's because they're misinterpreted Scripture and they have not understood the Old Covenant is an earthly physical Covenant and the New Covenant is spiritual and heavenly so we got to be realistic we must not believe a false gospel or believe a false teaching now don't let me discourage you from praying for healing every time I am sick I pray for healing without a doubt and many times I've got answers to prayer so I'm not saying we should not pray please understand me correctly but I see in Scripture that the great Apostle Paul he prayed for healing three times and God said no but I'll give you grace and my grace will be able to help you to overcome that limitation so that's what I and tamati Paul's closest coworker we read in 1 Timothy 5 2 ne1 he had frequent stomach ailments and Paul says there's no one of my co-workers whose hearted as Timothy the most godly and wholehearted of Paul coworkers were sick with a stomach ailment he was never healed from can you imagine the number of time Paul laid his hand on his head and prayed for him it was a thorn in his flesh so but I'm sure Timothy got grace sufficient from just like Paul got it so this has been my principle whenever I get sick it's small sickness or anything I say Lord like Paul I will pray for healing if you don't give it to me I'm not gonna be stubborn because I'm under the new covenant but then you must give me grace so I want one of the two either healing or grace to conquer it and make this thing turn out to be something good for me and I've experienced that too where some earthly limitations or sickness turns out for profit so if you take that position you'll always be a conqueror you'll never be discouraged that God didn't answer my prayer because my prayer is Lord you either heal me or give me grace to overcome that and which is better now if you think healing is better give me healing and sometimes God does that also and if you think in some other times no it doesn't know want to heal me he wants to give me grace if that God sees is better I accept it and I'll tell you if you take the scriptural position in this matter of healing you'll never be disappointed I'm never disappointed when I pray for healing because I'm not stubborn I know what the New Covenant promises me a spiritual healing and blessing and I say either heal me or give me grace and always I'll get one of the two I mean I'm trying to show you scripture that so many people have misunderstood they read articles and magazines and get completely sidetracked because they have not understood that we are meant to be a heavenly minded people the New Covenant is heavenly blessing it's not material wealth it's spiritual wealth spiritual wealth is the likeness of Christ now it's a choice do you want more money or do you want to become more like Christ I have absolutely no doubt in my mind about my choice Lord definitely I want to be more like Christ and every Christian needs to ask himself supposing God were to give you a choice okay you're a Christian you're born again you're on your way to heaven now and your further life do you want a lot more money or do you want to become more like Christ what will you choose you've got to be honest with God ask yourself be absolutely honest and say which will you choose are you happy with to be a little less you're going to heaven in any case that's settled but it doesn't matter if I don't grow spiritually so much I can have a little more money I tell you that is what most Christians choose and that's why they remain carnal till the end of their lives they never become the heavenly minded Christians that God wants them to be and when are they going to discover how much they have lost when they stand face to face with Jesus one day and they say wow what a fool I was to choose the temporary passing things of Earth and have suffered a loss for all eternity well you go to heaven alright but there's too I don't understand what it means but there's gonna be some type of loss that believers are gonna have for all eternity in heaven because they chose earthly things instead of their heavenly things they chose to be under the Old Covenant instead of the New Covenant this is very real I mean though if you read the New Testament with this perspective it's completely different there's a message in every page for us there's nothing which doesn't fit into places like it every part of the every piece of the puzzle fits in perfectly and so here is something that we must really ask God to make clear to us what I want to know clearly what it means to be united with Christ it's one of the great themes of the Apostle Paul you know when Jesus was on earth he never spoke about it never once did he tell people he said I'm gonna die for your sins that he made repeatedly said I come to earth to die for you to die for you to die for you greater love has no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends but never once did Jesus say you are going to be in me when I die why didn't he say that didn't he know it of course he knew it you see the reason in John's Gospel in John's Gospel in chapter 16 verse 12 is a very precious passage of Scripture if you meditate not on seriously John chapter 16 verses 12 to 15 one of the main purposes of the gift of the Holy Spirit it is not speaking in tongues primarily that's secondary I have many more things to say to you but let me paraphrase it you cannot understand them now it's like trying to teach college mathematics to a kindergarten student what can you understand and you tell that kindergarten student do you know there's a lot more in mathematics than 2+2 is 4 + 3 + 3 6 but you're in the kindergarten my five-year-old boy you can't understand it now but if you are wholehearted and you progress you will understand it one day that's what he was saying I'm many things to say to you but you cannot understand now but it won't be like this forever when the Spirit of Truth when the Holy Spirit has come and comes inside you see right now the Holy Spirit is outside throughout the Old Covenant the Holy Spirit was outside but when he comes inside you he will guide you in wordly into all the truths the entire truth 100% the full circle now you see only a small segment of it you know you draw a circle and there's a small segment of that circle painted that's forgiveness of sins Jesus says that's all I can tell you there's a whole lot more in that circle which you cannot even if I tell you you won't understand it it's like as I said teaching PhD mathematics to a five-year-old kid in the kindergarten it's all correct but what does he understand so Jesus could have explained it everything that you read in Romans 6 and Colossians 3 he could have said it they wouldn't have understood a word of it you cannot understand it now but when he comes he will guide you into all the truth and what is he going to do see in verse 14 he will take in the middle of that verse he will take all the things of mine and reveal it to you in word things you don't need the Holy Spirit to understand the outward things that Jesus did he heal the sick you can be an atheist and read the Bible and know that you can be an atheist and know that he walked on the water he healed the sick and he raised the dead and multiplied the loaves and every earthly miracle you can be an atheist and understand it but there are certain things which he says you cannot understand the lolis for it comes inside you those are not these outward things inward things and I've come to see this through in these past years that Christians who are concerned about their external testimony only in other words who are only concerned about am I making a good impression on other people in my church with my Christianity do I have a good testimony before others as a Christian who people think I'm a good Christian their Christian life is concentrated on the external they will only see the external Christ that's right he washed the feet he was kind he helped the poor yeah yeah they'll do all that the external things and most Christians see only the external Christ the inner Christ how he lived in with the values he had inside that will be revealed to those Christians who are more interested in their inner walk with God than what other people think about them and you need to ask yourself are you more interested in your inner walk with God or the impression you make on others in the church and what impression they have that will determine whether you understand the inner things of Christ or you will only see the outer things and even when you come to listen to a message you will only hit the outer outer side of it and you won't understand the inside of it because you're not inside interested in an internal walk with God it all depends on how eager we are to be heavenly minded inside God gives us according to our desire according to the intensity of our desire and then he goes on to say all things of the Father are mine therefore I said but he repeated the thing again in verse 15 the Holy Spirit will take of mine and disclose it to you disclose means reveal its hidden he will reveal it to you and so when I read the episodes and I read I am crucified with Christ Romans 6:6 in Christ in Baptism I'm buried with Christ and raised again that's Jesus speaking to me it's not Paul it's the Holy Spirit revealing the things that Jesus did not say in the Gospels because they couldn't understand him he could have said all that everything written in the episodes for example the fact that in Jesus earthly life he was tempted every day with every single temptation that we are tempted with why isn't that written in the Gospels it's one of the most fantastic truths in the New Testament why isn't it written in the Gospels he said you cannot understand it because their whole life was occupied with the external and the proof of that is that even after walking with Jesus for three-and-a-half years at the Last Supper what are they discussing they are discussing that okay now a leader is going to die who's going to be the next leader can you imagine that Jesus is I'm gonna go to die in there disc they're not feeling sorry about that they're discussing who's gonna take over now the leadership of this group all of them they were discussing who's the greatest among them can you imagine walking with Jesus for three and a half years and still arguing about whether you're greater than the other Christian I don't despise them if you were a disciple of Jesus you would have been exactly like that he's the holy spirit that has made the difference why even today there are people who claim who are Christians were still comparing themselves with others always comparing am i better than that person and wanting to prove that they are better the people who want to show that I can preach better than you or I can sing better than you or I can do things better than you and who do something for the Lord and want honor for it what is the difference between them and those disciples sitting at the Last Supper without the Holy Spirit exactly the same but when the Holy Spirit fills us it becomes very very different you know like we sang in that song heaven came down I believe that's what happened on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit brought the Spirit of heaven down into the hearts of those apostles that they would not be fighting with each other to see who was going to be the leader they were glad to let the other person be the leader they had the Spirit of Christ within them and that's why the most important message in the New Testament is to be filled with the Holy Spirit and that's why this one doctrine of the Holy Spirit is the one which Satan has brought maximum confusion in in Christendom there's no doctrine that has brought more confusion in people's minds they're going after all types of gimmicks all types of strange things and calling it the Holy Spirit and everything is external whether it's speaking in tongues or rolling on the ground or yelling and kicking and screaming and all types of things all external when it where do we hear a people saying that if you have filled with the Holy Spirit within something's going to happen within he will get rid of the anger within he'll get rid of her jealousy within he'd get rid of your love of money within he get rid of wrong attitudes to people within he gets rid of that unforgiving attitude within he won't have to struggle to forgive somebody you do that because you don't allow the Holy Spirit to rule within you you think people in heaven have any trouble struggling to forgive somebody not at all and if I'm seated with Christ in the heavenly places that's what happens and so what we read in Colossians 3 is a challenge set your mind on things above you know I find very often that the scripture puts a challenge before us but it doesn't tell us immediately how we can get there okay set your mind on the things above and not on the things of the earth Colossians 3:2 which we just read how are you gonna do it inviable says you've got to have your mind set on the things above all the time and not on the things of Earth I say fine Lord how am I gonna do it some people are never seeking how to do it they say it's okay they try try try slang to meet is just like trying to get your sins forgiven by your own effort it doesn't work I thought of that when I read the Sermon on the Sermon on the Mount you know when you read the Sermon on the Mount if you're sincerely reading it believing that these are the words of Jesus now let me read it to you and try and understand it what I'm trying to point out here first we begin with Matthew 5:20 unless your righteousness is greater than surpasses the righteousness of the Pharisees you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven so I'm gonna stop there a moment said do you really believe that the Pharisees had a pretty high standard of external righteousness they fasted twice a week they prayed three times a day and they gave 10% of all their income and what does it mean for your righteousness to exceed that and we don't have you're not left in any doubt the Lord says I'll explain to you exactly what I said the rest of the Sermon on the Mount is an explanation of that verse he's saying the Pharisees have an Old Covenant righteousness you need to have something greater than that which is a New Covenant righteousness that is what surpasses the righteousness of the Pharisees and he says I'll explain it for example Old Covenant righteousness in verse 21 is don't commit murder New Covenant righteousness is in word murder don't get angry verse 22 Old Covenant righteousness was twenty seven is don't commit external adultery New Covenant righteousness in verse 28 is don't commit internal adultery see how Jesus is explaining how your righteousness must be superior to the Pharisees theirs is external yours must be internal again Old Covenant righteousness verse 33 is when you take an oath you must speak the truth it's external you put your hand on a Bible I'm not gonna speak the truth but Jesus says no you when you say yes verse 37 it must be yes you don't need to put your hand on a Bible or take a bow or any such thing inwardly you are a truthful person in the same way in the Old Covenant the law was you if neighbor strikes you takes out one eye take out his eye the meaning is don't take out both eyes they got only one because but they misunderstood it if he takes out one I've got ah Jesus no life in the New Covenant you forgive the person and goes on in chapter 6 the old company the emphasis was on prayer and the new covenant the emphasis is how do you do it not how much you pray but how you pray there's a lot of difference but even today I find a lot of Christians emphasize how much you pray do you pray for two hours or three hours that's not never Jesus emphasized that he emphasized how do you pray do you pray in secret with only God seeing or do you pray in a way that you want other people to know that's the emphasis it's always the inner life not the external and yet I find a lot of Christians boasting about how many hours they pray or fasting not how many days you fasted but is it hidden so that people don't know or giving money it's all there in Matthew 6 not how much you give but is it secret is it before God so and there's such a high standard for example you it says you can't serve God and money verse 24 don't be anxious so many things here which are such a high standard and at the end of the Sermon on the Mount you say alright Lord now you explained how our righteousness must be greater than the righteousness the Pharisees it must be heavenly and not earthly now at the end of the Sermon on the Mount my question is how in the world do I have this many people don't ask that question they read through it this year whereas it's impossible to keep it let's move on read the next chapter but a sincere Christian he reached this and said Jesus meant what he said now how in the world can I get it Lord and the answer is here Matthew 7 verse 7 ask and it'll be given to you knock and it will be open seek and you will find so you have to earnestly seek and ask and knock for this and it comes through the gift of the Holy Spirit so that is how even what we see in Colossians is like challenge like the Sermon on the Mount set your mind on the things above not on the things of the earth the sincere Christian who is absolutely honest and if you are honest you will say the same thing that's what I said I said Lord I find it very difficult my mind is always coming back to the earthly things I'm not talking about our secular work I'm saying about our values we have to do our secular work Jesus also when he was a carpenter he was very he was concentrating on what he was doing as a carpenter so I'm not talking about not concentrating on our work I'm saying where we set our values and I say Lord I always want to have my value set on heaven how is it possible how can I reckon myself to be dead to this world and how can I come to the place where the world is no more interest in me like a dead man that doesn't have interest and when I seek God like that he will tell me you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit so I see everything in the New Testaments like a challenge then God is waiting to see how many people will now see this and say I want it I believe this is what you want but I'm not able to attain it Lord do do something for me fill me with the Holy Spirit so I believe the entire New Testament is written in such a way and God is testing to see how many people will take this seriously and that's one secondly recognize they cannot attain it and not just give up like some people many Christians read it and say that's impossible let's forget it I'm accepted in Christ I'm going to heaven that's it but there are others who say God couldn't I've wasted so many pages writing all this just to teach us that is impossible they say no it's possible but there must be something here which I'm missing yes when you ask God he'll show you is by being filled with the Holy Spirit the heaven comes the Holy Spirit brings the atmosphere of heaven into arts it is not something you struggle and get it's like it's not by fishing all night no by casting the net on the right side and the Lord fills the fills our heart with the Holy Spirit it's a wonderful life I can tell you and I don't believe God wants any of us to miss it I pray that as he read the scriptures that he producing us a hunger and a thirst for this life if you can read passages like this and just move on to the next verse then God sees you're not really passionate about this light for example of one verse Colossians 3:2 Colossians 3:2 just one verse set your mind set means fix it there on the things above and not on the things of Earth Lord how in the world can I do it how can I have this heavenly minded value system all the time while I'm doing my earthly work how can I be free from the love of money free from the love of honor free from the love of earthly praise from completely undisturbed by the criticisms of men or what they speak behind my back and people in heaven are not bothered about watch people are going to speak about them on earth imagine being like that is it possible the devil says no the Bible says yes there are very very few people I have met in my life I'll tell you who are genuinely filled with the Holy Spirit and live by these values but there are some and I believe that all of us can come there the Bible says if you seek me with all of your heart you will find me he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him and there is no partiality with him if you can believe that there's no partiality with God what he's done for one person he'll do for you like we're singing that song what he did for Jesus he will do for you the Holy Spirit enabled Jesus to walk on earth as a heavenly minded person keep that in mind when you sing that what he did for Jesus he will do for me too I believe that yes if I'm eager to be filled with the Holy Spirit and even after being a Christian for 60 years I find I find a great longing in my heart today more and more I said Lord I want this life at any cost I want to live this life because I know this is the only thing that will save me from regret at the judgment seat of Christ that's what I'm aiming for but I'm aiming for zero regret at the judgment seat of Christ I mean a lot of things in my past life I regret I can't do anything about it that but at least from the time I've got light lord I don't want any regret at the judgment seat of Christ I've heard so much and particularly you folks who have come to this church and heard so much at least from now onwards he Lord for the rest of my life I want to live in such a way that I don't have any regret about how I lived at least from today that well when it's all evaluated in the final day at the judgment seat of Christ I see from a certain day onwards I have no regret about the way I lived I lived in triumph in Christ because he really made me a heavenly minded person it's possible I hope all of you will believe it as the first step and once you believe you've thirst for it and longed for it there's no partiality what he did for Jesus he will do for you as he cared for Jesus he will care for you I remember how my life was changed when I believe that truth may God help us let's pray Heavenly Father please help us never to forget what your Holy Spirit's trying to say to us there's so much of confusion the devil has brought into this world among Christians making them doubt page after page of Scripture verse after verse saying is impossible impossible impossible we want to resist the devil and say everything you have promised is possible everything you've commanded is possible and we want to be a living testimony to the fact that what you have commanded is possible in our life help us Lord to be men and women like that we pray in Jesus name [Music]

Channel: River of Life Christian Fellowship

Views: 24,385

Rating: 4.9041915 out of 5

Keywords: calling, heavenly, minded, zac, poonen, sermon, rlcf, river, life, christian, fellowship

Id: 5P1aNIEFEFs

Length: 52min 23sec (3143 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 06 2019