1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:05,080 As we preach our way very slowly through the Lord's Prayer, we're 2 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:15,640 coming to the midpoint, and I am joyfully engaged in finding this 3 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:20,280 a very refreshing midpoint, and I hope that you will experience 4 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:23,360 the same as we go through this text together. 5 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:28,560 Obviously, we're mostly in Matthew 6 where this verse 6 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:32,680 resides, but this morning will be in the passage you just heard 7 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:36,040 in Isaiah 6. So you can find that and put a 8 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:40,200 bookmark there. But I'll also be in Colossians 9 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:44,800 3. So Isaiah 6 and Colossians 3. 10 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:49,640 Briefly to review. We've looked at the invocation 11 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:54,000 our Father in Heaven, reminding ourselves that we pray to a 12 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:58,520 loving Father who has adopted us by his grace and that there is 13 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:02,240 intimacy and access because He is our Father. 14 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:06,400 But we never forget that he is our Heavenly Father, the maker 15 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:11,400 of everyone and everything, who's not only willing to handle 16 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:14,720 our prayer requests, but Abel because he is all knowing and 17 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:18,000 all powerful. He's our Heavenly Father, and so 18 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:22,480 we approach him with both intimacy and awe as we make our 19 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:26,080 request to God. And our Lord's Prayer is very 20 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:28,800 beautifully framed in a first half and a second-half. 21 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:36,360 The first 3 petitions are dedicated to God for His name, 22 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:41,320 for His Kingdom, for His will. It's important for us to pray 23 00:01:41,960 --> 00:01:47,520 for God's priorities and God's agenda first before we enter 24 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,440 into our own petitions about our own needs. 25 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:53,520 We seek first the Kingdom of God. 26 00:01:56,160 --> 00:02:00,160 Last week we looked particularly at this petition, the third one 27 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:05,240 in that list, your will be done. And we looked at how the Bible 28 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:11,720 speaks about the will of God. There's only one will in God, 29 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:16,240 but God. But the Bible speaks to us about 30 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:21,520 in a couple of different ways about this one will, His secret 31 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:24,800 will by which all things come to pass. 32 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:31,960 This is also known as His will of decree, but also His revealed 33 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:37,080 will, sometimes called His will of command or His will of 34 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:41,360 desire, by which He communicates His will to His creatures and 35 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:46,240 expects to be obeyed. Though His secret will cannot be 36 00:02:46,240 --> 00:02:51,560 thwarted, His revealed will most certainly can and has been 37 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:56,400 rebelled against. And that third petition asks 38 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:59,600 that God's revealed will, His will of command or will of 39 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:02,360 desire, will be obeyed by His humans. 40 00:03:03,720 --> 00:03:07,480 We observed last week that this does not mean that God has some 41 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:11,800 sort of secret singular plan for our lives that we need to 42 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:16,040 somehow guess at when making important decisions. 43 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:20,200 God cares far more about our Christ likeness than He does 44 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:24,560 about the countless non moral decisions that we make 45 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,480 throughout our lives. The emphasis in that third 46 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:32,160 petition, thy will be done, is on obedience to His moral will, 47 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:35,360 to his commands, to Holy Scripture. 48 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:41,160 And that third, that third petition, your will be done, is 49 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:44,720 emphasized and modified by the final clause that you see up 50 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:48,160 there on earth as it is in heaven. 51 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:53,040 And that's what we'll be looking at today, friends. 52 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:59,280 We need a transcendent vision, something to lift our gaze up 53 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:03,920 off of our suffering and our chaos, to give us hope and 54 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:10,080 meaning in our lives. This need for transcendence is a 55 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:15,200 universal human longing, and it's powerful, so powerful that 56 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:21,120 it animates art and music, religions, and all kinds of 57 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:24,400 other human endeavors. Humans longing for the 58 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:27,320 transcendent. Now, thankfully, because of 59 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:32,600 God's common grace to us, much of that culture making is good. 60 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:39,440 Tragically, however, much of that transcendence inspired 61 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:45,080 culture making is bad, very bad because it's misplaced in 62 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:49,760 horrible idolatries that are animated by by greed, selfish 63 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:53,480 ambition, perversity, and false worship. 64 00:04:54,960 --> 00:05:00,000 Now here in the middle of our Lord's Prayer, between the three 65 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,560 petitions about God and the three petitions about our own 66 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:07,440 needs, we have this little phrase on earth as it is in 67 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:13,560 heaven. Theologian Ji Packer notes that 68 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:15,960 this phrase obviously doesn't stand alone. 69 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,880 It's a modifier and it's modifying what comes right 70 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:22,600 before it. Thy will be done on earth as it 71 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:26,680 is in heaven. However, however, that phrase on 72 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:31,040 earth as it is in heaven is also functioning as a kind of 73 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,440 interlude between the first and second-half of the prayer. 74 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:39,840 He calls it a refreshing halftime in the midst of the 75 00:05:39,840 --> 00:05:44,520 work of prayer. So first, let's ask ourselves 76 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:47,800 some questions and try to do an exposition on what does this 77 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:50,000 mean? What does this phrase mean? 78 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:58,360 Now, exegetically, this phrase on earth as it is in heaven, is 79 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:03,120 an adverbial clause. Now you people who love English 80 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:06,480 grammar are getting a little excited, right? 81 00:06:06,840 --> 00:06:09,200 Let's let's diagram the sentence. 82 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:16,880 The rest of you are like, do not make me diagram a sentence. 83 00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:19,440 I get it. I understand. 84 00:06:21,280 --> 00:06:26,600 It's modifying and telling us the manner in which God's will 85 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:29,120 is to be done. We're praying that God's will 86 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:32,680 will be done as it is in heaven. Think for a minute for with me 87 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:35,360 how God's will must be done in heaven. 88 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:42,280 When God, Jesus the Holy Spirit dispatches angels to a specific 89 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:46,080 task, how many do you think are just like watching TV? 90 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:49,880 And they're like just a minute. Let's wait for the next 91 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:52,640 commercial break and then I'll go do your the job You gave me. 92 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:59,600 Lazy messengers, lazy angels. It's impossible to imagine. 93 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:07,800 No, we imagine a host of heavenly agents willing and 94 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:10,400 eager to do God's will. Quickly. 95 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:15,880 We tell our kids, remember, to delay is to disobey. 96 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:22,520 We expect prompt action, so we can imagine that these angels 97 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:26,520 swiftly move to accomplish God's will, but we also expect them to 98 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:32,160 do excellent work, that they don't mess up the messages that 99 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:34,560 they're supposed to give or botch the help that they're 100 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:37,720 supposed to deliver, that they do their work with excellence. 101 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:45,840 But besides swiftness and excellence and quality, we would 102 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:50,080 also expect that the angels and angels in heaven do God's will 103 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:52,000 with a happy heart. We'll talk about our kids now. 104 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:58,600 Obey with a happy heart that there is an ardent love for God 105 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:03,120 and for his glory in the heart of these angels, so that they do 106 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:09,280 his will willingly, not with dragging feet and murmuring 107 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:12,760 tongues. So we can think about God's will 108 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:15,640 being done on earth as it is in heaven, with swiftness, with 109 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:19,520 quality, with the correct motive, that is love for God. 110 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:24,640 But if you're diagramming, you should also note that the 111 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:28,560 punctuation in your English Bible is not in the original 112 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:30,800 manuscripts. I know, that's a shocker, isn't 113 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:32,919 it? In fact, all the words are just 114 00:08:32,919 --> 00:08:35,000 jammed together. There's not even spaces in 115 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:37,960 between the words in our oldest manuscripts. 116 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:40,799 The punctuation in your Bible is not inspired. 117 00:08:40,799 --> 00:08:44,720 It's interpretive. It's important to know because 118 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:48,360 there's sometimes some decisions to be made on earth as it is in 119 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:51,640 heaven probably modifies your will be done, but it can also 120 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:55,800 modify all three of the petitions just like this, and 121 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:59,000 it's helpful for us to think that through for a minute. 122 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:02,840 Commentator RT France writes it this way. 123 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:07,240 The final words, as it is in heaven, are, as in heaven, so on 124 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:11,760 earth, can be seen to apply to all three of the preceding 125 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:14,760 clauses. In heaven, among the angels, 126 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:19,320 God's name is already honored, His kingship acknowledged, and 127 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:22,920 His will done. And the prayer is that this 128 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:26,560 heavenly state of affairs may also be reflected on earth. 129 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:33,000 To pray such a prayer is, of course, to be committed oneself 130 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:39,600 to honor God's name, accept His kingship, and to do His will. 131 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:43,400 And I think it's helpful as a mental exercise as we're praying 132 00:09:43,400 --> 00:09:45,080 this prayer and thinking this through. 133 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:48,400 And so we can come to those petitions and think about how 134 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:51,800 God's name is always glorified and honored in heaven. 135 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:55,920 And that's what we want it to be like here too, that His 136 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:58,800 authority is always recognized and honored in heaven. 137 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:03,520 And that's how he wanted to be here too, especially among his 138 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:07,280 people, and that his will will be done. 139 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:12,440 He will be obeyed and not just here there, but here as well, as 140 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:16,680 we said, with swiftness and excellence and an ardent heart. 141 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:23,560 Now, as I mentioned earlier, on earth as it is in heaven also 142 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:26,200 can be read as a theological statement. 143 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:30,520 Ji Packer reminds us that the Lord is teaching His disciples 144 00:10:30,520 --> 00:10:33,360 to pray. And after the hard work of 145 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:38,200 praying these petitions, these God centered petitions, Packer 146 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:41,760 sees that the Lord himself, in teaching his disciples to pray, 147 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:48,200 is reminding them that God is sovereign, that God's will will 148 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:50,560 be done on earth as it is in heaven. 149 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:53,840 It's a promise, It's a reminder. And that's why he calls it 150 00:10:54,000 --> 00:11:01,120 refreshing, invigorating. Here's the juicy quote that 151 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:05,600 we've been leading up to. Ji Packer writes this while 152 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:10,760 petition exhausts, that is, praying the petitions is hard 153 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:14,640 work and tiring praise invigorates. 154 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:18,640 While petition exhausts praise invigorates. 155 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:23,600 And for Jesus to interpose between two spells of arduous 156 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:26,720 petition. That is the 2 tables of 157 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:31,800 petitions, 2 spells of arduous petition, a moment to pause and 158 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:36,280 praise in heaven. Father, your will is done. 159 00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:41,040 Hallelujah. This is a spiritual equivalent 160 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:44,960 of refreshment at halftime, whereby the strength for the 161 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:46,840 battle of intercession is renewed. 162 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:51,440 Here Jesus teaches the precious lesson that praising energizing 163 00:11:51,560 --> 00:11:57,960 energizes and renews praying. Hear him and I can stand before 164 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:02,360 you and testify in this long semester of 16 weeks working our 165 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:04,880 way through the Lord's Prayer. I did experience the Lord's 166 00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:09,760 refreshment when I got to this particular phrase that he can 167 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:13,160 energize us with praise, with heavenly vision so that we can 168 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:16,440 go forward. And that's why we're in Isaiah 6 169 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:20,440 this morning. Considering how a view of heaven 170 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:24,440 can motivate A radical obedience. 171 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:30,960 Let's hear it again, my friends. Isaiah 6 verses one through 8. 172 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:36,680 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting 173 00:12:36,680 --> 00:12:40,880 upon a throne high and lifted up, and the train of his temple 174 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:43,520 filled, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 175 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:48,480 Above him stood the seraphim. These are angels, each had six 176 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:50,160 wings. With two he covered his face, 177 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:52,640 and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 178 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:55,920 And one called to the other, saying, Holy, holy, holy is the 179 00:12:55,920 --> 00:12:58,640 Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of his 180 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:00,600 glory. And the foundations of the 181 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:03,880 threshold shook at the voice of him who called, and the the 182 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:07,720 house was filled with smoke. And I said, woe is me, for I'm 183 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:11,280 lost, for I'm a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst 184 00:13:11,440 --> 00:13:15,120 of a people of unclean lips. From my eyes have seen the King, 185 00:13:15,240 --> 00:13:19,800 the Lord of hosts. He is undone by this vision, by 186 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:22,880 the magnitude and immensity of his own sin. 187 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:29,600 Woe is me, then the gospel. Then one of the Seraphim flew to 188 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:32,560 me, having his hand, having in his hand a burning coal that he 189 00:13:32,560 --> 00:13:36,160 had taken with tongs. Safety first with tongs from the 190 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:40,400 altar. And he touched my mouth and 191 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:43,440 said, Behold, this is touch your lips. 192 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:47,680 Listen, friends, your guilt is taken away, and your sin atone 193 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:54,680 fall. And then I heard a voice of the 194 00:13:54,680 --> 00:13:57,720 Lord saying, Whom shall I send? Who will go for us? 195 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:03,840 Then I said, here I am, send me. Isaiah's despair at this 196 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:09,280 heavenly vision turns to a highly motivated volunteerism to 197 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:11,280 get after being God's mouthpiece. 198 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:13,680 God tells him it's not going to be easy. 199 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:15,280 The people aren't going to listen to you. 200 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:16,960 It's going to get worse and worse and worse. 201 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:20,640 And yet Isaiah is motivated by this heavenly vision to obey and 202 00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:22,920 live a faithful life. And now, my friends, all these 203 00:14:22,920 --> 00:14:26,600 centuries later, you have his magnum opus in your Bible, the 204 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:30,760 book of Isaiah with all its messianic prophecies and its 205 00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:35,440 heavenly visions for you and for me, that we too may get a 206 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:37,800 glimpse of the glory and therefore have the radical 207 00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:40,680 obedience that comes with it because of his grace to us and 208 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:46,560 the gospel. So how do we pray it? 209 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:51,080 How do we pray it? In this section each week, I've 210 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:54,120 been reminding before I give any applications. 211 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:59,400 Reminding How do we pray it? We always pray in Jesus name by 212 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:03,160 the Holy Spirit. He is the one through which His 213 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:05,280 work and His person makes our prayers possible. 214 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:09,200 He is our intercessor and it's by His Holy Spirit that our 215 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:12,720 prayers are animated that we can even say our Father in the 1st 216 00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:16,320 place. We cannot lose sight of the Holy 217 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:21,600 Trinity as we pray this line also it's not an individual 218 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:25,720 prayer only. It's also a corporate prayer. 219 00:15:25,960 --> 00:15:30,360 Our Father, we pray as the church your will be done on 220 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:36,600 earth as it is in heaven. Now how do we pray it? 221 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:39,160 What is what are some practical way things that we can think 222 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:43,280 about as we come into this particular modifier in this 223 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:47,160 section of the prayer. Now, there's a a couple of 224 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:49,520 things that we want to say. First, I want to say we need to 225 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:51,840 pray it with heavenly mindedness. 226 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:55,200 You see how in the middle of the prayer we're thinking about 227 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:59,040 heaven. We think about how God's will is 228 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:02,320 perfectly dispatched in heaven. We're having a moment of heaven, 229 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:06,560 of heavenly mindedness. This is a big and important 230 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:08,440 biblical theme. We don't have time to go through 231 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:12,080 much of it this morning, but the Bible recommends to Christians 232 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,280 to be heavenly minded. Now, some people think that 233 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:18,200 that's a problem. Perhaps you've heard this 234 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:21,480 phrase. He's so heavenly minded that 235 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:24,440 he's no earthly good. Some of you have heard this, 236 00:16:25,360 --> 00:16:29,640 made immensely popular by the late, great Johnny Cash, who 237 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:32,320 wrote a song about it. The rift goes this way. 238 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:36,160 Come heed me, my brothers. Come heed one and all. 239 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:41,320 Don't brag about your standing, or you'll surely fall. 240 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:45,360 You're shining your light, and shine it you should. 241 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:49,320 But you're so heavenly minded you're no earthly good. 242 00:16:50,520 --> 00:16:52,800 If you're holding heaven, then spread it around. 243 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:55,960 There's hungry hands reaching up here from the ground. 244 00:16:56,160 --> 00:16:58,720 Move over and share the high ground where you stood. 245 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:02,200 So heavenly minded you're no earthly good. 246 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:07,720 It's a warning about a type of self righteousness that wants to 247 00:17:07,720 --> 00:17:09,760 preach the gospel but doesn't care about anybody. 248 00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:14,119 An appropriate warning about heavenly mindedness. 249 00:17:14,960 --> 00:17:17,599 Now cash didn't make it up. It actually goes even further 250 00:17:17,599 --> 00:17:19,880 back. Many attribute the saying 251 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:23,760 heavily, so heavily minded, no earthly good to Oliver Wendell 252 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:26,240 Holmes, senior in the 19th century. 253 00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:30,320 Christians so heavily minded, they're no earthly good. 254 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:35,040 GK Chesterton and CS Lewis push back on this a little bit, as 255 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:39,360 they rightly should. Because the Bible does commend 256 00:17:39,360 --> 00:17:43,680 to us being heavenly minded. That's a good thing, CS Lewis 257 00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:48,480 writes in Mere Christianity, quote hope is one of the 258 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:52,640 theological virtues. This means that a continual 259 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:58,240 looking forward to the eternal world is not, as some modern 260 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:05,080 people think, a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but is one 261 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:07,840 of the things a Christian is meant to do. 262 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:11,880 It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it 263 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:15,280 is. If you read history, you will 264 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:19,240 find that the Christians who did the most for the present world 265 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:23,040 were just those who thought most of the next. 266 00:18:24,120 --> 00:18:27,720 The apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the 267 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:32,760 Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, and 268 00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:36,920 the English evangelicals who abolished the slave trade, all 269 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:40,760 left their mark on earth precisely because their minds 270 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:44,680 were occupied with heaven. It is since Christians have 271 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:48,280 largely ceased to think of the other world that they have 272 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:53,120 become so ineffective in this. Aim at heaven and you'll get 273 00:18:53,120 --> 00:18:56,720 earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you will get 274 00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:59,920 neither. We must be heavenly minded. 275 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:04,040 So we've already talked about one problem, perhaps a problem 276 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:06,200 of self righteousness. But you're probably just as 277 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:10,120 likely, maybe even more likely, to meet a problem of cynicism. 278 00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:14,840 The problem of cynicism related to heavenly mindedness may be 279 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:18,000 illustrated by Zechariah. You're used to hearing Zechariah 280 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:22,520 preached around Advent time. Remember, this man, after 281 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:27,040 decades of infertility, is cynical. 282 00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:31,360 He lacks hope. He's in the holy of holies. 283 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:34,120 He may even have a rope around his ankle to pull him out in 284 00:19:34,120 --> 00:19:38,320 case something goes wrong in there and he's met with a 285 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:42,760 vision. Gabriel comes and talks to him 286 00:19:42,760 --> 00:19:45,480 and gives him good news about the fact that he's going to have 287 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:49,680 a son. And Zechariah said to the Angel, 288 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:52,760 How shall I know this? For I'm an old man and my wife 289 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:56,760 has advanced in years, and now the angel's going to give him a 290 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:00,160 little lesson on heavenly mindedness. 291 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:07,680 And the Angel answered him. I am Gabriel. 292 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:17,120 I stand in the presence of God and I was sent to speak to you 293 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:22,760 and bring you this good news. And then there's a discipline 294 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:26,600 pronouncement verse 20 of Luke 1 And behold, you will be silent 295 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:29,360 and unable to speak until the day that these things take place 296 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:32,920 because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled 297 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:37,200 in their time. Poor Zechariah, disappointment 298 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:41,000 is encased his heart that when the Angel Gabriel is in front of 299 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:44,320 him, he's still having trouble with heavenly mindedness. 300 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:46,920 Says, how can this be? I'm too old. 301 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:51,120 So we have the problem of self righteousness. 302 00:20:51,120 --> 00:20:54,760 We always have the problem of cynicism, but where is a proper 303 00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:56,480 way? And this is delivered to us in 304 00:20:56,480 --> 00:20:59,920 Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3. 305 00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:07,480 The heavenly mindedness that Paul expects from us is the only 306 00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:10,320 way forward. Colossians chapter 3 beginning 307 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:12,840 in verse one. Christians, if you have been 308 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:16,840 raised with Christ, seek the things that are above where 309 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:21,000 Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 310 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:28,440 Think about heaven with me for a minute, where Jesus Christ, who 311 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:31,200 is raised is seated at the right hand of God. 312 00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:34,280 Set your minds on things that are above, not on earth, things 313 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:37,400 that are on earth, for you have died and your life is hidden 314 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:40,360 with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life 315 00:21:40,360 --> 00:21:44,000 appears, then you also will appear with Him. 316 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:47,240 Christian, fill your thoughts with heavenly mindedness. 317 00:21:47,360 --> 00:21:50,680 Consider the resurrected King of the universe who's sitting on 318 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:52,760 his throne. Consider how He is able and 319 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:55,520 willing to do everything and more than we ask or imagine, 320 00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:58,800 consider this. Load your heart and mind up with 321 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:02,320 a gospel in the future. Hope that we have now. 322 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:04,440 We can understand what Packer means about this being 323 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:12,080 invigorating, rekindling. I don't know what you're facing. 324 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:14,080 I don't know how bleak it might be. 325 00:22:15,120 --> 00:22:19,000 We need a vision of heaven, and when we have this heavenly 326 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:23,760 mindedness, it will, like Isaiah, kindle a desire to obey. 327 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:27,800 They will kindle a desire to obey. 328 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:31,120 And here we can contrast Zechariah with Mary. 329 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:35,040 Same Angel comes to Mary and says, what's going to happen to 330 00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:38,680 her? And she responds by saying, 331 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:43,640 Behold, I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according 332 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:46,120 to your word. What is she saying? 333 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:51,120 Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 334 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:59,600 Colossians chapter 3 goes on. Now that we have the gospel, our 335 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:01,960 minds, and we have a vision of Jesus in the heavens, the 336 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:04,680 resurrected one in whom we have all hope. 337 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:07,840 Now we can have the radical obedience to do 2 things. 338 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:12,640 One is to take off the negative stuff, get rid of sin, battle 339 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:17,360 with sin by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, and positively 340 00:23:17,360 --> 00:23:21,400 to put on virtue. Let's look at it together. 341 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:34,960 Colossians, chapter 3. Verse 5 This is the negative 342 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:37,360 stuff, the stuff you're supposed to get rid of, put to death. 343 00:23:37,360 --> 00:23:39,400 Therefore, what is earthly in you? 344 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:44,240 Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and 345 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:48,400 covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these, the wrath 346 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:52,280 of God is coming in. These you 2 once walked when you 347 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:57,040 were living in them, but now you must put them all away. 348 00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:01,880 And he gives another list, anger, wrath, malice, slander, 349 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:04,720 obscene, obscene talk from your mouth. 350 00:24:05,120 --> 00:24:08,280 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you put off the old 351 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:12,280 self with its practices and have put on the new self which is 352 00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:15,680 being renewed in knowledge after the image of its Creator. 353 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:20,560 Verse 12, it's going to go on to tell us what to put on. 354 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:24,200 Put on then, as God's chosen One's holy and beloved 355 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:32,040 compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience 356 00:24:32,360 --> 00:24:35,360 bearing with one another. And if one has a complaint 357 00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:37,760 against another, forgiving each other. 358 00:24:38,120 --> 00:24:43,960 As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 359 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:47,640 And above all these, put on love, which binds everything 360 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:52,480 together in perfect harmony. Now you may think you should 361 00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:54,880 just try really hard to put on all the good stuff, but Paul's 362 00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:57,440 not going to let you do that. He front loaded all this with 363 00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:00,520 gospel hope, and he's going to remind you of the resources in 364 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:02,520 Christ to do this. Verse 15. 365 00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:09,640 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed 366 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:12,040 you were called in one body, and be thankful. 367 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:16,280 So the peace of Christ, verse 16, let the word of Christ dwell 368 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:20,160 in you richly teaching and admonishing one another in all 369 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:22,920 wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs or 370 00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:25,200 Thanksgiving in your hearts to God. 371 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:31,200 Verse 17 And whatever you do in Word or deed, do everything in 372 00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:34,920 the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father 373 00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:40,080 through him that your will be done on earth as it is in 374 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:44,080 heaven. Praise God, praise God. 375 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:48,400 So as we're concluding, we need to be heavenly minded. 376 00:25:49,120 --> 00:25:54,880 Visions of heavenly realities, present and future, propel us to 377 00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:59,800 radical obedience and a life of praise. 378 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:04,240 I've been concluding by inviting you to pray with me out loud, 379 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:07,120 the Lord's Prayer. If you don't know it, that's OK. 380 00:26:07,120 --> 00:26:10,880 You can just listen and perhaps learn to memorize it as time 381 00:26:10,880 --> 00:26:12,760 goes on. When we get to the part where 382 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:17,520 we're not sure what to do about debts or sins or trespasses, 383 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:20,800 we'll say trespasses. As I said, that's how my grandma 384 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:22,560 taught me. It's hard to spray it otherwise. 385 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:29,120 So will you pray with me, Our Father, who art in heaven, 386 00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:34,760 hallowed be thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done 387 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:39,560 on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day Our Daily 388 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:44,360 Bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those 389 00:26:44,360 --> 00:26:49,080 who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but 390 00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:53,840 deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom, and the power 391 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:56,800 and the glory forever. Amen.