Heavenly Minded

Sunday Morning, August 24th, 2003

Let us pray

Welcome....thanks for your prayers while we were away at The West

Middle-sex Camp Meeting......we had a wonderful camp

meeting.....elaborate.. Thanks to Bro. Casimere......During the camp

meeting, I experienced what it means to take the time and truly worship the

Lord. I want to encourage everyone who truly loves the Lord to take the time

and truly worhip the Lord. If God has truly done something for you, then you

should take the time and worship him. We are here today because of the

grace and mercy of God We are not here because of our great strength and

our goodness; but we are here because of God. What has God done for you

lately? Who open doors for you?.....elaborate...

I do trust over the past seven months our theme for the year is holding true for

each of us, that with God all things are possible or with God nothing shall be

impossible.....elaborate..

As we look at the Word of God today, using the title, "Heaven Minded," I

would like to ask three questions: 1. How many of you here today are heaven

bound? 2. How many of you have decided that this world is not your home?

3. How many of you are willing to go all out for the L:ord? Thank you...

Please turn with me to page 5 of your bulletin or in yout Bibles to Colossians

3 verses 1 through17. Let’s all stand and read together. Please tell someone:

this world is not my home. Do you believe what you have just said?

.................elaborate...

If I should tell you that the money you have in the bank you wont need it

anymore, just give it to a friend or give it to the church, somebody would say,

pastor is not thinking straight today. If I should say, that new car you are

driving, and that new home you are living in, you can get rid of them,

somebody would truly say what’s wrong with pastor today, I wonder what is

the point he is trying to make. Maybe not needing money; not needing a car;

not needing a place to live, is not true now, but one day it willl, when our

material things will no longer matter. With this idea in mind, let’s look at

verse 1 of our text.

Verse 1 - If ye then be risen with Christ. Notice the word if. That word

"if" means, in case, in the event that. So the apostle Paul is saying, in case or

in the event that a change has taken place; in case or in the event that you

have been transformed; in case or in the event that the old man has been

crucified, then and only then you are called upon to seek those things which

are above. There are too many people whose lives have not been changed ,

who are trying to seek after heavenly things We cannot seek after heavenly

things until a change has taken place in our lives..................

In Verse 2 we are called upon to set our affection on things above. That word

affection means, tender feelings, feelings of attach-ment. Our tender

feelings, our feelings of attach-ment should be on things above, and not on

things that are on the earth. As Christians we can’t get too attached with

earthly things; these earthly things will not last forever. Someone might ask

the question, pastor Thompson why shouldn’t I set my affection on earthly

things, and verse 3 of our text gives the answer loud and clear, because you

are dead.

Verse 3- when you are dead nothing can bother you. When you are dead it

does not matter how much people talk about you. When you are dead you

are unmoved and un-affected by your surroundings. As Christians we are

dead to sin, and our life is hid with Christ. The life of a Christian, the life of a

child of God is hid with Christ, and we are heavenly minded, bound for

heaven.

Because we are heavenly minded; because we have been risen with Christ;

because our affection are on things above in-stead of things on the earth ,

there are certain things we are called upon to do. We are called upon to

mortify the flesh. That word mortify means to subdue bodily desires; to

hurt or wound the feelings. As Christians we cannot do the things that the

world is doing. Paul list certain things in verse 5 of our text that we are called

upon to mortify (read verse 5) As Christians we should have nothing to do

with sexual sins; impurity; lust; evil passions, covetiousness. We are called

upon to mortify sins, becuase if we do not kill them, they will kill us. Since