1 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:05,960 Welcome to the Liberty Baptist Sermon Archives. 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,040 The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty Baptist 3 00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:13,040 Church in Easton, MA. You can find out more about us 4 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:17,280 or contact us at my libertybaptist.org or just look 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,760 us up on Facebook. And now we hope that this 6 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,080 message from God's Word will be a blessing to you. 7 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:28,000 Questions chapter #3 If you'll remember, we saw last week that 8 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:32,320 Christ is all. That is our theme for 2026. 9 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,320 By the way, that didn't just become true in 2026. 10 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:36,600 It's always been true, hasn't it? 11 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:39,720 That Christ is all that didn't just appear in our radar just a 12 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:42,120 couple weeks ago. That has been the case since 13 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:44,040 before the foundation of the world. 14 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:48,480 But yet our theme, our focus for 2026, at least in our morning 15 00:00:48,480 --> 00:00:50,440 services will be that Christ is all. 16 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:52,880 And looking forward to next week, going through some of the 17 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:55,760 characteristics of who Jesus Christ is, started with the 18 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:57,800 Gospels and going to the epistles and seeing. 19 00:00:58,040 --> 00:00:59,080 Where the Lord? Will lead us. 20 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:01,680 But in the meantime, I still kind of want to set the table 21 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:05,680 for us here this morning with this idea of Christ being all 22 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:07,560 back in our passage from last week. 23 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:11,840 However, I do want to ask the question, if Christ is all, then 24 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:15,280 what's next? If we say that Christ is all, 25 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:17,080 well, what does that really mean to us? 26 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:21,280 How does that affect our life? I think oftentimes it is the 27 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:25,600 case that we can agree with a theological fact, but really it 28 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:28,840 doesn't get down too deep into our soul to the place where it 29 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:33,040 actually effects how we live and how we go through the day today. 30 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:36,320 I mean, sure, it's one thing for us to say Christ is all. 31 00:01:36,320 --> 00:01:38,520 I mean, I can't imagine anybody would disagree with that 32 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:40,520 statement. Who is here at Liberty Baptist 33 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:42,000 Church this morning? It's another. 34 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:44,040 It's one thing to say that Christ is all. 35 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:47,760 It's another thing completely different to live your life as 36 00:01:47,760 --> 00:01:49,960 if Christ is all. They are two completely 37 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:54,120 different things, not just the theology but the reality in your 38 00:01:54,120 --> 00:01:55,640 life as well. We could even. 39 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:59,280 Ask ourselves this question, What does the Christ is all life 40 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:02,680 look like? What does the Christ is all life 41 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:04,560 look like? And so we're going to jump right 42 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:07,840 back into our text this morning. No real introduction today other 43 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:10,680 than just give you the idea of what's about to come ahead. 44 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:13,520 But I want us to read the same passage we read last week, 45 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:17,520 whereas last week we just focused on verse #11 I really 46 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:21,040 want us to look at verses one through 10 and kind of build up 47 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:25,960 to what makes verse #11 verse #11 what makes Christ is all the 48 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:28,360 pinnacle. The peak of this text and the 49 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:31,320 things that we need to learn before we even get to verse #11 50 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:34,200 about the Christ is all life. So would you stand please for 51 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:36,400 the reading God's Word, Colossians chapter 3. 52 00:02:36,920 --> 00:02:39,360 We'll read our same text again as last week, beginning in verse 53 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:45,680 #1 The Word of God says, if he then be risen with Christ, seek 54 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:49,560 those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the 55 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,640 right hand of God. Set your affection on things 56 00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:55,920 above, not on things in the earth, for ye are dead, and your 57 00:02:55,920 --> 00:02:59,480 life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life 58 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:02,960 shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. 59 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,320 Mortify therefore your members, which are upon the earth 60 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,840 fornication, uncleanness, and ordinate affection, evil, 61 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:14,000 concupiscence and covetousness, which is idolatry, for which 62 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,040 things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of 63 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,560 disobedience, in the which He also walked sometime when you 64 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:24,280 lived in them. But now you also put off all 65 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:28,720 these anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication. 66 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,080 Out of your mouth lie not one to another, seeing that you have 67 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:36,440 put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new 68 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:39,600 man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him 69 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:42,680 that created him. Where there is neither Greek nor 70 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:46,400 Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, 71 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:52,600 sentient bond nor free, but Christ is all and in all. 72 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:55,320 What does that Christ is all life look like? 73 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:57,680 Christ is all. But what next? 74 00:03:57,880 --> 00:03:59,320 Why don't you be seated as we pray together? 75 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:05,720 Heavenly Father, I do thank you for this morning and I do pray 76 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:08,960 once again that as we ask every week, just humbly, Lord, if 77 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:11,560 there's someone here that doesn't know Christ as their 78 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:15,040 Savior, they can't even fathom what it means to make Christ all 79 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:18,480 because they've not even really regarded Christ in their life at 80 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:20,480 all. Or may this be the day that they 81 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:22,920 come to that saving knowledge. Or are there? 82 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:25,080 Others who have just been discouraged that have been 83 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:27,160 dealing with difficulty. Lord, there's some that are 84 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:29,320 dealing with sin that they won't confess. 85 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,600 Or may Your Holy Spirit just work in each of these occasions 86 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:36,600 so that they may leave and that I may leave being more like 87 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:39,040 Christ than when we came. Thank you again for this time 88 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:42,720 and I pray your blessing upon it all in Christ's name, Amen. 89 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:47,760 It's important for us to take a moment to dwell on why Paul was 90 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:51,120 writing these things to the church at Coloss in the 1st 91 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:52,880 place. You might Remember Me saying 92 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:55,440 this last week. Coloss had once been a 93 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:58,760 significant city, but by the 1st century it had declined in 94 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:03,120 prominence, overshadowed by nearby Laodicea and Harapolis. 95 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:06,400 Its population was ethnically and religiously diverse, 96 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:09,880 including native Phrygians, Greeks influenced by Hellenistic 97 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:12,520 culture, and a substantial Jewish community. 98 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:16,640 This mixture created a setting where ideas from Judaism, Greek 99 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:20,680 philosophy, and local folk beliefs all came together. 100 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:24,880 See, this diversity of thought caused a lot of problems within 101 00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:26,960 the church. You say pastor, are you afraid 102 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:28,800 of diversity? Well, I'm afraid of diversity of 103 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:30,360 thought when it comes to the word of God. 104 00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:32,160 I am afraid of that. Why is that? 105 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,040 Well, because we are not the ones to be able to make the 106 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:37,120 interpretation of the word of God. 107 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:39,800 In fact, it is said that the word of God is of no private 108 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:42,400 interpretation, meaning this. The word of God doesn't believe 109 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:44,920 what you want it to believe for you and what I want it to 110 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:47,200 believe for me. No, what does the Word of God 111 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:49,120 say? And that's where we must get in 112 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:52,400 line and not make the word of God be twisted to what we would 113 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:55,040 rather have it say. And so yes, there is a problem 114 00:05:55,040 --> 00:05:56,880 where there's a diversity of thought within the church 115 00:05:57,040 --> 00:05:59,960 because if there are thoughts that are extra biblical, if 116 00:05:59,960 --> 00:06:02,240 there are thoughts that are unbiblical, well then those are 117 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:03,680 thoughts that don't believe in this building. 118 00:06:04,280 --> 00:06:07,360 Those are thoughts that don't belong rather here within these 119 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:09,840 walls here this morning. And so there were a lot of 120 00:06:09,840 --> 00:06:12,800 thoughts that were going on in the Church of Colossus, and a 121 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:14,920 lot of those thoughts were unbiblical. 122 00:06:15,040 --> 00:06:18,040 A lot of those thoughts had nothing to do with the word of 123 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:20,920 God because these different people from these different ways 124 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,440 of life had brought their own thinking into the church, some 125 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:27,320 unwittingly and some very wittingly as well. 126 00:06:27,480 --> 00:06:30,200 There was 1 strand in heresy pressed. 127 00:06:31,040 --> 00:06:34,480 There's one strand rather of people who pressed Jewish style 128 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:37,400 observances, rituals and legal requirements. 129 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:40,520 They brought Judaism along with them into the church. 130 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:43,920 There was another influence in Colossus, which was asceticism, 131 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:47,880 where adherents believe strict rules about the body would 132 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:50,880 advance spirituality. There's another element called 133 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:54,680 mystical spirituality, with focuses on visions and deeper 134 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:58,160 secrets, worship of angels and special wisdom. 135 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:01,840 Extra revelation not available to all believers. 136 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:05,280 In all this Heresy wasn't just coming from one source. 137 00:07:05,280 --> 00:07:08,360 It wasn't just coming from one person or from One Direction. 138 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,360 It was a toxic Stew that had come together. 139 00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:14,320 It was a Mulligan's Stew where everyone kind of threw in their 140 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:16,080 own thing and cooked it all together. 141 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:18,440 And by the time you were done, there was something that nobody 142 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:22,000 would want to eat, touch, or smell because it had turned into 143 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:25,960 something that was so far from what the word of God had taught. 144 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:29,880 These people in Colossus had gotten themselves into a real 145 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:33,760 mess as they had listened to these voices coming from all of 146 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:37,240 these different directions. So Paul, in Chapter 1 and 147 00:07:37,240 --> 00:07:41,040 Chapter 2 of Colossus, or rather the book of Colossians, talks to 148 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:43,360 the Church of Colossus and starts chipping away at some of 149 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:44,640 these problems I've just talked about. 150 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:46,840 We're not going through Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 this morning. 151 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:48,240 Don't get nervous on me, all right? 152 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:50,400 We're not going through there. But you'll find that if you go 153 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:52,480 to those chapters, Paul's chipping away. 154 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:54,680 He's chipping away at some of this false doctrine. 155 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:59,240 By the time you get to chapter #3 he's not chipping away, He's 156 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:02,520 laying the hammer down. He's not just talking about some 157 00:08:02,520 --> 00:08:05,520 of the issues at the periphery. He's getting right to the heart 158 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:08,800 of the matter and he's telling the people what their real need 159 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,000 is. And if you could imagine chapter 160 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:15,400 3 is a mountain, I almost imagine verse #11 Christ is all 161 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:18,960 and in all kind of as the peak, kind of as the pinnacle of that 162 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:21,000 mountain, if chapter 3 was a mountain. 163 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:24,600 And along the way, there's kind of three vistas, there's kind of 164 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,640 three waypoints points where we kind of stop and we take a look 165 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:31,880 for a minute as we're on our way to that very peak of Christ is 166 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:34,200 all. And in all, what I want us to do 167 00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:37,320 this morning is to look at each of those three statements, each 168 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:40,840 of those three stops to be able to consider as we March up 169 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:43,159 towards Christ is all, how do we get there? 170 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:46,160 How do we get to the place where Christ truly is all? 171 00:08:46,280 --> 00:08:48,440 How do we get to the place? We're not just saying Christ is 172 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:50,920 all because it's the theme of the church or it's because 173 00:08:50,920 --> 00:08:53,280 something you believe the preacher wants you to say. 174 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:57,280 Where do we get to the place where Christ truly is all in our 175 00:08:57,280 --> 00:08:59,480 life? And so as we get to that peak, 176 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:02,320 there's three different things I want us to see. 177 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:08,440 Number one, that you must seek #2 you must set, and #3 you must 178 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:11,680 surrender. We must seek and we must set and 179 00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:14,600 we must surrender. And then and only then can we 180 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:18,360 reach the pinnacle where Christ truly is all in our life. 181 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:20,960 So let's take all three of these and look at them individually 182 00:09:20,960 --> 00:09:22,520 this morning for the few minutes that we have. 183 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:27,440 And #1 is this you must seek? Well where do we get that from 184 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:31,000 Pastor, you might ask. Well verse #1 it says this, if 185 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:36,080 he or rather if ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things 186 00:09:36,080 --> 00:09:38,720 which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of 187 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:40,040 God. You see that word seek was not 188 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:42,480 just something that I pulled out of thin air or something that I 189 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:44,880 was just thinking of that make sound good because you know, 190 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:46,320 everything starts with the letter S, so. 191 00:09:46,520 --> 00:09:47,520 I'll just pull. Out three words. 192 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:49,000 Start with the letter S Start preaching on it. 193 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,800 You know that's not what it is. It's the word of God which says 194 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:53,280 that we are to. Seek. 195 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:55,840 Those things which are above, but it's starts with this 196 00:09:55,840 --> 00:10:00,560 phrase, if ye then be risen with Christ, if ye then be risen with 197 00:10:00,560 --> 00:10:02,640 Christ. Now Paul is not questioning 198 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:05,240 their salvation. Paul is not trying to question 199 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:09,160 whether they truly know the Lord or not, but he is setting them 200 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:12,120 up for what would be an if then statement. 201 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:16,120 Now sometimes the word then is understood like it is here, but 202 00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:19,520 the idea is, if the first statement is true, then the 203 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:23,120 second statement is true if ye then be risen with Christ, And 204 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:26,440 we could almost say it this way, if ye then be risen with Christ, 205 00:10:26,680 --> 00:10:29,840 then seek those things which are above. 206 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:34,360 If the first statement is true, then the second statement is 207 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:36,680 true. For instance, if you don't get 208 00:10:36,680 --> 00:10:39,400 up your grades, then you won't graduate. 209 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:43,240 I seem to remember. Conversation like that in my 210 00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:46,360 life a few times actually in high school and college. 211 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:49,320 But anyway, that's not worth us talking about this morning if 212 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:51,360 you if you keep doing quality work. 213 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:53,360 Then you will get. Promoted. 214 00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:57,400 If the cop is lenient, then he'll let you off with a 215 00:10:57,400 --> 00:10:58,920 warning. That's an if. 216 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:03,360 If this one thing is true, then the second must also be true. 217 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:05,640 And it's important that we understand that because here's 218 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:08,400 what it says. If ye then be risen with Christ. 219 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:09,400 Now, let's stop for just a moment. 220 00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:11,760 All right, Take a time out. Are you risen with Christ, 221 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:13,720 meaning this? Are you saved this morning? 222 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:14,920 Do you know Jesus Christ your Savior? 223 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:17,160 All right, Amen. That's a good amount of people 224 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:18,880 that said that. Thank the Lord for that 225 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:21,960 testimony. If you then be risen with 226 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:26,040 Christ, then the second statement must also be true. 227 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:31,480 If you are as emphatic that you are saved this morning, then you 228 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:35,920 must be as emphatic to what? Seek those things. 229 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:39,000 Which are above. If the first is true, you're 230 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:41,320 saved. Then the second must be true. 231 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:42,880 Seek those things which are above. 232 00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:48,080 But here's the problem. It's supposed to be true, but 233 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:51,880 it's not always true, is it? Why do you think he's talking 234 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:55,080 about it in the first place? If the Colossians had it figured 235 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:56,680 out, it wouldn't be a point of conversation. 236 00:11:57,400 --> 00:11:59,360 If it was something that we had figured out, it would not be 237 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:00,760 something we would need to speak of. 238 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:04,600 But the fact of the matter is, is that we should be doing these 239 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:06,680 things. We should be seeking those 240 00:12:06,680 --> 00:12:09,880 things which are above. But it's obviously not always 241 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:12,760 the case. So here's the thing. 242 00:12:13,560 --> 00:12:16,640 What does it mean to seek those things which are above that mean 243 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:17,840 just stare at the clouds all day. 244 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,160 Mean look for angels, You know, whether you're touched by an 245 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:24,560 Angel or there's an Angel in the outfield or whatever it might 246 00:12:24,560 --> 00:12:25,040 be. No. 247 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:28,440 Is that what we're supposed to be doing, to be looking up above 248 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:30,440 at those things? It almost sounds like it's 249 00:12:30,440 --> 00:12:32,720 something so pie in the sky. It sounds like something that we 250 00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:35,400 can't really attain to or understand today. 251 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:39,040 It's almost like Paul's making us go hide and seek and he's not 252 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:42,360 telling us what to seek for. But that's not the case at all. 253 00:12:43,160 --> 00:12:47,600 You know, the best commentary on the Bible is always the Bible. 254 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:50,840 You have trouble understanding something in the Bible. 255 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:54,040 Just keep searching the Bible. Sometimes it's found. 256 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:57,160 Far away you want to find the answers, the Book of Revelation, 257 00:12:57,160 --> 00:12:59,800 you know great place to look the book of Daniel, because the book 258 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:03,000 of Daniel will help you unlock a lot of the difficulties that 259 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:04,520 there can be in the Book of Revelation. 260 00:13:04,680 --> 00:13:07,720 Sometimes the answers can be far apart in the Word of God. 261 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:12,680 Sometimes they're in the same chapter like they are Now what 262 00:13:12,680 --> 00:13:15,160 does it mean to seek things that are above? 263 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:18,720 Well, look at verse #12 so drop down, same chapter, look down at 264 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:22,360 verse #12 It says, put on, therefore, as the elect of God, 265 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:25,480 holy and beloved, bowels of mercies. 266 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:29,120 Now, we don't often talk about the bowels today when it comes 267 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:33,280 to ourselves and our spirit. I mean, it's just kind of not 268 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:34,800 the way that we would talk today. 269 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:36,720 You know, I love you with all my bowels. 270 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:38,200 It's like, well, I'd rather you not, all right? 271 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:41,640 Why keep that to yourself? All right? 272 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:45,000 But in the word of God, the bowels was as if the seed of the 273 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,000 emotions were found there. Basically, we'd say deep down 274 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,400 inside of you. So was it deep down within you? 275 00:13:51,480 --> 00:13:54,000 What are you to have deep mercy within you? 276 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:55,960 That's something that's of above, isn't it? 277 00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:57,600 Mercy. You think that comes from this 278 00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:01,760 world? Not lately, not ever. 279 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:08,520 Kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness. 280 00:14:09,560 --> 00:14:12,560 By the way, meekness is not weakness, it's power that's 281 00:14:12,560 --> 00:14:15,440 contained. Moses was the meekest man, the 282 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:16,760 Bible says, upon the face of the earth. 283 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:19,000 Was he a weak man? Hardly. 284 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:24,200 But he's a man whose power was contained by God, to be used at 285 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:29,360 the proper time, with the proper motivation, long-suffering, 286 00:14:30,280 --> 00:14:33,080 forbearing one another. Forgiving one another. 287 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:36,840 If any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ 288 00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:40,400 forgave you, so also do you. I don't think I should forgive 289 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:42,920 them. Well, that's not some talk that 290 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:46,040 comes from above. Because Christ forgave. 291 00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:47,800 You, they don't deserve it. You didn't deserve it. 292 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:52,560 I didn't deserve it. We don't deserve the forgiveness 293 00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:55,200 of God. But yet, he says, for your own 294 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:58,280 sake and for the sake of others, forgive them. 295 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:01,960 Verse 14 And above all these things put on charity. 296 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:04,880 That word charity there is the highest form of love. 297 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:07,000 No, no, we're not trying to change the word of God, but I'm 298 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,120 trying to explain to you that charity is the type of love that 299 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:12,120 gives, expecting nothing in return. 300 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:15,840 Just as you would give to the Salvation Army a couch or a 301 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:19,920 sofa, a lamp, and you wouldn't expect them to give you anything 302 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:21,240 back. If you go to the Salvation Army 303 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:23,640 and say I got this couch, I'll give it to you for 30 bucks, 304 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:27,560 you'll be sorely disappointed. They're not in that business. 305 00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:28,640 Why? Because they're a charity. 306 00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:31,760 You give expecting nothing in return. 307 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:35,640 And charitable love, the highest form of love, First Corinthians 308 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:38,400 13 kind of love that's set from above. 309 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:41,560 This kind of love is this. It's the kind that gives 310 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:45,280 expecting nothing in return. Well, that's not of this world, 311 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:47,360 is it? This world will love you if you 312 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:49,800 love them. They'll give to you if you give 313 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:52,080 to them. But this kind of love is 314 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:53,720 different. And let the. 315 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:57,080 Peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you are 316 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:01,280 called in one body and be ye thankful. 317 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:06,280 Basically, if you've been raised with Christ and salvation, these 318 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:08,720 verses tell us then seek to live like Christ in this world. 319 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:13,360 If you've been saved by Christ, you were to seek to live like 320 00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:18,400 Christ here in this world. What do you need to do? 321 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:21,480 We're to seek those things which are above that list that I just 322 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:23,280 read. You are not things of this 323 00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:25,880 world. They're the things that are 324 00:16:26,040 --> 00:16:29,400 above. For Christ to be all, you must 325 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:31,400 be seeking those things which are above. 326 00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:35,320 Jesus gave a parable and he said this in Matthew 13 verses 45 and 327 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:37,680 46. Again, the Kingdom of heaven is 328 00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:41,320 like unto A merchant man seeking goodly pearls, who when he had 329 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:43,840 found. One Pearl of great price went 330 00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:47,720 and sold all that he had and bought it, meaning this, that he 331 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:52,640 understood the real economy, he understood the real price of 332 00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:56,600 things, and he was willing to give that which was little in 333 00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:59,360 comparison. For that which was rare and 334 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:03,120 beyond compare. Now listen, when you seek those 335 00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:05,280 things which are above, you understand I'm willing to give 336 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:09,240 up the things of this world, my own preferences, my own desires, 337 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:13,640 my own sin. For that which is above, which 338 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:19,280 is valued as a Pearl of a great price, Is Christ really all we 339 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:21,319 got? To seek those things which are 340 00:17:21,319 --> 00:17:23,680 above, not the things of this world. 341 00:17:24,599 --> 00:17:28,040 But not only do we see that, but remember I said #1 do we seek? 342 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:32,240 But #2 we must set. Now this is similar to what we 343 00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:35,480 just read before and you'll see the wording is similar, but it 344 00:17:35,480 --> 00:17:40,440 is not the same verse #2 set your affection on things above, 345 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:44,200 not on things on the earth. For you're dead and your life is 346 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:46,800 hid with Christ and God. Now we have to ask ourselves 347 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:50,280 this question, what does it mean when we set our affection on 348 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:52,080 things above? OK, we're to seek those things 349 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:55,040 that are above, and then we're to set our affection on things 350 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:56,760 that are above. And This is why it's important 351 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:59,360 for us to study the Word of God. Again, we're not trying to 352 00:17:59,360 --> 00:18:02,040 change the word of God. The Word of God changes us. 353 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:04,840 But we also do need to understand that oftentimes our 354 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:08,480 own phraseology is limited. Our own understanding of the 355 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:11,240 English language is limited. And so we have to make sure that 356 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:13,520 our thinking lines up with the word of God. 357 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:17,080 Now when I hear that word affection, oftentimes what comes 358 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:19,680 with that is that you have a fondness of something. 359 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:22,520 If I'm affectionate about someone or I'm affectionate 360 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:26,000 about something, it means I have a great fondness of that thing. 361 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:29,440 Now if I was to say to you this morning, you ought to be fond of 362 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:31,760 the things of God, I think that would be a true statement, 363 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:33,360 wouldn't it? You ought to be fond of the 364 00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:35,400 things of God. The problem is we're awful fond 365 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:39,280 of sin. So what I said just a few 366 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:42,840 moments ago is that we're awful. We ought to be fond of the 367 00:18:42,840 --> 00:18:45,280 things of God, but we're awful fond of sin. 368 00:18:46,320 --> 00:18:47,480 Amen. Amen, Preacher. 369 00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:53,920 The shadow, got it. We're fond of sin, but that's 370 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:56,240 not the depth of what's being said here. 371 00:18:56,240 --> 00:18:59,520 That is true, but it's not the depth of what's being said. 372 00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:02,120 When you look in in the Greek and you understand the 373 00:19:02,120 --> 00:19:04,640 definition that's there. Again, not changing the word of 374 00:19:04,640 --> 00:19:06,680 God, but broadening our understanding. 375 00:19:06,680 --> 00:19:08,320 It's beyond just being fond of it. 376 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:12,600 It literally means to exercise your mind and have an intense 377 00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:16,240 interest in meaning this. You are so affectionate of it. 378 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:20,720 You think about it all the time. It's not just, oh, I'm 379 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:23,600 affectionate about this thing or I'm affectionate about that 380 00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:25,080 person. Isn't that nice? 381 00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:27,680 Isn't that sweet? Listen, the things of God are 382 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:30,600 more than just nice and sweet. The Bible says this. 383 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:33,440 Once you seek them out, the things of God, you got to be 384 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:37,320 thinking about it all the time. Is it any mistake that in 385 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:41,720 today's culture that everything screams at us at every second of 386 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:44,040 every moment? Your phone goes off and what do 387 00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:46,040 you do? Like Pavlov's dog, If you're 388 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:49,480 like me, your phone goes off and Bing, I got to check it. 389 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:52,520 And sometimes I have to remind myself, I don't need to know 390 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:54,840 what it says right now. I don't need to know what's 391 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:56,280 going on right now. I don't need to respond to that 392 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:57,800 right now. I don't need to send that e-mail 393 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,360 right now. A few weeks ago, Diane and I 394 00:20:00,360 --> 00:20:03,040 went into Times Square and we were assaulted. 395 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:06,360 No, not physically. We were assaulted in our senses. 396 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:12,160 Because you see all the video boards and all the sounds and 397 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:16,280 all the people and you can't even concentrate on anything. 398 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:19,120 I just wanted to stop. We went into one of the stores 399 00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:20,400 and I wanted to stop. I couldn't even stop. 400 00:20:20,400 --> 00:20:21,600 There were so many people inside. 401 00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:25,840 It was just like we were all moving like one whole a unit and 402 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:27,200 I, I want to stop and look at that. 403 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:28,880 But if I stopped, somebody would have run me over. 404 00:20:28,880 --> 00:20:30,640 So I was like, well, I guess I'll never see that. 405 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:33,720 I guess I'll just keep going. And and I just kept going 406 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:35,920 because there's so much it was so distracting. 407 00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:38,640 Listen, this world wants to distract us from the things that 408 00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:41,440 are above. How often do you set your heart 409 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:45,280 on things that are above? You know, it's not just seeking 410 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:47,360 it. Once you have found it, you got 411 00:20:47,360 --> 00:20:50,040 to keep thinking about it. Do you remember that old 412 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:52,120 commercial, that old infomercial? 413 00:20:52,120 --> 00:20:55,840 They Ron Popeil would pull out that, that, that, that 414 00:20:55,840 --> 00:21:00,320 rotisserie and he'd say this, you got to set it and oh man, 415 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:01,480 that. Guy was a billionaire. 416 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:04,400 That's the reason why all these years later, we still remember 417 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:06,120 that. Don't you set it and forget it. 418 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:09,560 You know, when it comes to the things that are above, you can't 419 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:14,680 just set it and forget it. You've got to set it and 420 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:19,160 remember it. You've got to set it and think 421 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:23,200 about it constantly. You set your affection on things 422 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:25,880 that are above. Listen, the things we just read 423 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:29,120 in verses 12 through 15, Your mind's got to be constantly 424 00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:30,240 thinking about it. You know why? 425 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:32,840 Because the world is going to wash over you each day. 426 00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:34,440 And you know what the world's going to do. 427 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:37,320 Like the tide. It's going to bring things in 428 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:40,120 that ought not and pull out things that ought to remain 429 00:21:40,120 --> 00:21:43,080 behind. We were at the on our 430 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:46,080 anniversary a few years ago. We're at the beach staying there 431 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:49,840 and, and, and I remember getting up very early one day and we 432 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:51,800 were just sitting out there. It's very quiet. 433 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:54,640 At least it was quiet until a tractor came out on the beach. 434 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:56,920 I don't know a whole lot about the beach. 435 00:21:56,920 --> 00:21:59,280 And funny enough, I lived in Florida all those years, but I'm 436 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:00,760 not a beach person for the most part. 437 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,080 But I know this. Tractors are for farms, not for 438 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:06,400 beaches. And so here's a John Deere 439 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:08,480 that's going back and forth. But the reason why is because 440 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:12,240 picking up all the seaweed, there was mounds and mounds and 441 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:14,680 mounds of seaweed. And So what they did was they 442 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:16,840 would go out and this tractor would sift through the sand, 443 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:19,280 leave the sand behind and pick up the seaweed, take it away. 444 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:21,200 But you know what was awful about it? 445 00:22:21,360 --> 00:22:24,840 The very next day, that seaweed was right back where it was. 446 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:27,320 The old stuff was. Gone. 447 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:28,880 But new stuff had been deposited there. 448 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:31,120 And I almost feel like, well, what a thankless job that would 449 00:22:31,120 --> 00:22:33,800 be going out there every day. And it's like, look, it looks 450 00:22:33,800 --> 00:22:35,640 exactly like it did yesterday, just like I wasn't there. 451 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:40,000 But if that gentleman doesn't come, it is John Deere, what it 452 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:45,000 will look like in a week, a month, a year, to the point that 453 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:49,600 it would be unusable as a beach. You know, I think a lot of times 454 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:53,080 when we think about Sunday services, we think about coming 455 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:55,280 to church and we think about the things of God and we think, hey, 456 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:59,280 I put an hour in to my spiritual life this week and it's good. 457 00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:03,240 And by the way, that is good as a start. 458 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:06,720 The problem is, the world's going to wash over you every 459 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:12,240 day, and it's going to leave its junk on the shores of your mind. 460 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:14,560 And what do you need to do every day? 461 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:18,360 You need to renew your mind. The Bible says in the things of 462 00:23:18,360 --> 00:23:19,960 God. Can we put it this way? 463 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:23,440 You got to set your affection on things above. 464 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:27,120 Don't just seek it. Think about it every day. 465 00:23:27,840 --> 00:23:30,720 And as the opposite, don't invite it into your life in the 466 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:34,120 first place. Nor that we shouldn't invite sin 467 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:38,360 into our life to fill it with all of the other junk of 468 00:23:38,360 --> 00:23:42,280 society, the junk of entertainment, the junk of this 469 00:23:42,280 --> 00:23:43,840 world. You know, what are we saying? 470 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:47,400 You know, Second Corinthians chapter 4, verse 16 says, for 471 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:50,960 which 'cause we faint not, but though our outward man are this 472 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:54,840 earthen vessel we have perish, yet the inward man is renewed 473 00:23:55,000 --> 00:23:58,080 day by day. Listen, you have to read your 474 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:01,240 Bible every day. You say, pastor, you say that 475 00:24:01,240 --> 00:24:03,400 all the time because people still don't do it. 476 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:06,720 And even those of us who are faithful sometimes have trouble 477 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:08,880 doing it. You have to read your Bible 478 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:10,920 every day. Well, I don't feel like reading 479 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:12,280 it every day. Do you feel like taking your 480 00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:15,480 medications every day? But some of them, you know, if I 481 00:24:15,480 --> 00:24:17,760 don't take this, it's going to be a bad day. 482 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:21,400 And listen, if you don't take this in in the morning, I'm not 483 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:24,960 saying you'll have a bad day. I'm not placing that upon you. 484 00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:28,240 And I know that sometimes we miss and sometimes that's OK. 485 00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:31,560 But listen, if your life is marked by, I'm not going to 486 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:34,960 renew my mind day by day, friend, the world's washing over 487 00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:37,480 you and you can't say Christ is all because you've set your 488 00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:40,720 affection on things of the earth and not on the things of the 489 00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:44,200 Lord. We're to seek and we're to set, 490 00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:48,080 but #3 we're also to surrender. Now we'll say that the word 491 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:50,400 surrender is not found in this text, and I do have to admit 492 00:24:50,400 --> 00:24:52,280 that, but I believe the principle is very real. 493 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:55,120 It's very real. Look at verse #4. 494 00:24:56,480 --> 00:25:04,040 The 1st 6 words when Christ who is our life, when Christ who is 495 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:06,680 our life. The verse I have in my notes 496 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:09,680 here or the was a verse that brother Dan finished his men's 497 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:13,520 charge this morning with Philippians 121 where Paul says 498 00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:16,440 for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. 499 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:20,000 Can I ask you this, this morning it's going to be invasive. 500 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:23,520 You're not going to like it, but I've had to wrestle with this 501 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,280 myself, been to wrestle with it for a while because I've known 502 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:29,840 this is coming for a while. But the burden that I've had, I 503 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:31,640 want to lay at your feet this morning so you can wrestle with 504 00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:34,800 it and you could try to put it off to the side. 505 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:37,240 You can try to push it away, but the question still is relevant, 506 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:38,640 whether you want to think about it or not. 507 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:45,240 Is Christ your life? No, I didn't say it's Christ 508 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:47,520 your eternal life. And he ought to be. 509 00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:52,400 He ought to be, but he ought to be your life. 510 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:57,680 There are people who say, well, music was his life, sports was 511 00:25:57,680 --> 00:26:03,800 his life, the socks was his life, the Pats was his life, the 512 00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:07,080 hobby was her life. These are things that people 513 00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:09,280 say. I've read obituaries where it 514 00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:12,760 talks about people that love fishing and gardening and the 515 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:16,560 Ladies Club Guild and the Kiwanis Club and video games and 516 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:18,120 all these different things and it says this. 517 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:22,240 It is their life meaning this. It's the divining feature of who 518 00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:24,320 they are. When you think of them, you 519 00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:26,240 think of this. When you think of them, you 520 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:27,920 think of music. When you think of them, you 521 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:29,840 think of gardening. When you think of them, you 522 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:32,160 think of bingo. When you think of them, you 523 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:34,880 think of the Rotary Club. This is what it says when 524 00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:36,920 somebody says this is their life. 525 00:26:37,040 --> 00:26:40,600 But when someone thinks of you, do they think of someone who 526 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:43,560 loves Christ and believes that Christ is all? 527 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:48,760 That's a harder question to answer, and from the silence 528 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:51,440 that we have right now, it makes me think that all of us feel 529 00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:55,880 we're deficient in this. In a way, He's to be our whole, 530 00:26:56,400 --> 00:27:00,720 which means this. You surrender self, and that's 531 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:02,200 where the word surrender comes from. 532 00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:06,400 If Christ is all, then you have to surrender yourself. 533 00:27:07,440 --> 00:27:10,280 Matthew 1039 This, this is not me saying it. 534 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:15,080 He that findeth His life shall lose it, and he that loseth his 535 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:18,120 life for my sake shall save it. You find this record in all the 536 00:27:18,120 --> 00:27:20,480 gospels. It's the same thought. 537 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:25,760 If you want to win, you lose. If you want victory, you 538 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:27,720 surrender. So it doesn't make sense, 539 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:29,320 pastor. It doesn't make sense in this 540 00:27:29,320 --> 00:27:32,800 world, but in the spiritual realm it makes perfect sense, 541 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:38,200 because Christ surrendered His life for us, and in so was 542 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:41,000 victorious over death, hell, and the grave. 543 00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:44,160 And if that was the pattern of our Savior, shouldn't it be the 544 00:27:44,160 --> 00:27:46,920 pattern of the Saints? Should it be the pattern of you 545 00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:48,760 and I that we surrender ourselves? 546 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:52,640 And we say Christ is all? Second Corinthians 5:15 That He 547 00:27:52,640 --> 00:27:56,760 died for all that they which live should not henceforth live 548 00:27:56,760 --> 00:27:59,400 unto themselves, but unto Him which. 549 00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:03,560 Died for them. And rose again all of Civil War 550 00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:09,080 history and Ulysses S Grant was nicknamed US Grant, but for 551 00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:12,480 Ulysses. But that US sometimes people 552 00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:15,600 said, stood for unconditional surrender Grant. 553 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:20,760 And that really goes back to the Battle of Vicksburg in late June 554 00:28:20,760 --> 00:28:22,840 1863. The Confederate rations in 555 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:26,480 Vicksburg had fallen to a handful of peas and spoiled 556 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:29,040 flour. The diary entries record 557 00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:33,120 soldiers boiling mule hides and shoe leather for sustenance. 558 00:28:33,840 --> 00:28:36,520 Union artillery fired thousands of shells in the city, killing 559 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:39,280 civilians in their homes, driving entire families to live 560 00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:42,440 for weeks in hillside caves, some collapsing under 561 00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:44,600 bombardment. Desertions increased. 562 00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:48,280 Hospitals lack medicines and bandages, and General Pemberton 563 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:51,040 of the Confederates reported that his men were physically 564 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:54,040 incapable of breaking out or resisting another assault, 565 00:28:54,440 --> 00:29:00,320 making surrender inevitable. But when General Pemberton asked 566 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:05,240 for terms meaning this General Grant will surrender, but you 567 00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:09,320 just tell us what you'll give us in return, he said that my only 568 00:29:09,320 --> 00:29:12,120 terms are unconditional surrender. 569 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:15,800 You give up and I give you nothing. 570 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:20,960 Guess what? They surrendered because it was 571 00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:27,360 that in exchange for their life. Say, what does the Lord expect 572 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:30,800 from me? Unconditional surrender. 573 00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:34,360 But may I tell you that you will not find a more benevolent 574 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:38,920 entity to surrender to than your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? 575 00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:42,920 And when you surrender to Him, you will not lose your life. 576 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:46,200 You won't find life. You will not lose satisfaction. 577 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:49,040 You'll find satisfaction. You don't lose purpose. 578 00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:53,240 You'll find purpose that what you think you are leaving behind 579 00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:56,440 because you're surrendering to Christ, you actually gain. 580 00:29:56,440 --> 00:30:00,480 And that's why it says if Christ is truly all, then he must 581 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:02,880 become your life. You must surrender your own 582 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:06,640 thoughts, your own desires, your own lusts, your own wants, your 583 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:09,600 own sinful habits. All of these things must be laid 584 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:12,160 at the feet of Jesus Christ and confessed. 585 00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:15,360 And then and only then is victory possible. 586 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:17,480 And the world says it's the opposite. 587 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:20,600 Look what happens when you do this. 588 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:23,280 Verse 5. Mortify therefore, your members, 589 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:25,920 which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, 590 00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:29,160 inordinate affection, evil, concupiscence, and covetousness, 591 00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:33,080 which is idolatry. By the way, a sin is still sin 592 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:35,560 today. The world doesn't want to call 593 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:39,160 sin sin, and it doesn't want to say that that sin will lead 594 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:40,800 someone straight to a devil's hell. 595 00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:43,480 But the fact of the matter is, sin is still sin today. 596 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:46,160 No matter what the government says, no matter what society 597 00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:49,320 says, no matter what Hollywood says, no matter what programs 598 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:51,840 they put out in the movie theater or they stream on your 599 00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:55,160 phones or on your computers or on your televisions. 600 00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:57,880 Listen, God decides what's sin, not man Amen. 601 00:30:59,880 --> 00:31:02,200 These things, sake, the wrath of God cometh on the children of 602 00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:04,480 disobedience. By the way, why would a child of 603 00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:09,320 God want to bring into their life the things that God will 604 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:12,000 have to bring wrath on to the children of disobedience, the 605 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:14,520 ones who are unsaved? Why would the children who are 606 00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:17,120 saved want to live like the children who are unsaved and 607 00:31:17,120 --> 00:31:18,800 will receive wrath for what they're doing? 608 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:24,680 It doesn't make sense. In which He also walked sometime 609 00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:25,880 when he lived at them, meaning this. 610 00:31:26,120 --> 00:31:29,360 You used to be like that. It was First Corinthians chapter 611 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:32,240 4, say and. Such were some of you. 612 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:36,000 Some of you got some pretty bad stuff in your backgrounds. 613 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:39,320 Some of you have some stuff you're ashamed of. 614 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:44,040 You know what I do too? And this is in the competition 615 00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:46,320 to see who was the worst off in their past. 616 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:49,640 Might be a pretty weird competition, wouldn't it? 617 00:31:49,640 --> 00:31:51,600 Well, you think that was bad. Let me tell you how bad I was. 618 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:54,200 Like, hey, you know, keep it to yourself, all right? 619 00:31:57,360 --> 00:32:00,480 Bible says the past is supposed to be the past because He's 620 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:02,800 forgiven us from the past. Amen. 621 00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:05,640 Now, if that past sometimes bubbles up, you think on it, 622 00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:08,120 dwell on it, it comes back. You know what you need to do? 623 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:11,360 Confess it again. Get right with the Lord again. 624 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:14,040 Get right with him. That's what he wants from you. 625 00:32:15,080 --> 00:32:16,480 I said that's what he wants from you. 626 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:20,800 The devil makes you feel like, well you've messed up so many 627 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:22,600 times, why even get right? Why even go back to church? 628 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:25,280 Why even do these things? I mean, why would God even 629 00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:30,200 accept Someone Like You anymore? You think that's God speaking to 630 00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:32,320 you? You think that's a Holy Spirit 631 00:32:32,320 --> 00:32:34,160 speaking to you? I think that's Satan. 632 00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:39,400 Who's trying to keep you in the same quagmire that you're in and 633 00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:40,840 trying to get you to send even deeper. 634 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:47,240 But now put off all these things, anger, wrath, malice, 635 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:48,920 blasphemy. Here's another list. 636 00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:52,840 Filthy communication out of your mouth, line out to one another, 637 00:32:52,840 --> 00:32:55,880 seeing that you have put off the old man of his deeds, but put on 638 00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:57,520 the new man. What's the new man? 639 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:01,000 Well, it says verse 12. Put on therefore, and then gives 640 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:02,480 a list which we looked at earlier before. 641 00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:07,960 We're to seek, we're to set, and we're to surrender those 3 642 00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:12,320 vistas as we go up the mountain, which leads us to verse #11 the 643 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:16,760 pinnacle, the peak. Once we understand that, then 644 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:21,840 Christ can be. You want to know what the Christ 645 00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:24,720 is all life looks like? That's it right there. 646 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:27,200 Seek those things which are above. 647 00:33:27,720 --> 00:33:29,280 Verse 12 through 15 gives you the answer. 648 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:33,320 Set your mind. Meaning that they're not just 649 00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:39,520 nicely affectionate, but that you are so deep in that your 650 00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:44,680 mind dwells on Him and those things from above all the time, 651 00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:47,960 and then surrender. Understand this. 652 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:49,720 I'm not going to give into my flesh. 653 00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:52,160 I'm not going to give in to my own desires. 654 00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:56,160 I'm going to give in to Him. And when I give in to Him, I 655 00:33:56,160 --> 00:33:58,520 know that I win. And when I give into my flesh 656 00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:01,560 and my desires like I know I'm not supposed to, I'll give in to 657 00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:05,400 Him by confessing to Him. And He's faithful and just to 658 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:08,639 forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 659 00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:12,120 Let me ask you these three questions in regards to the 660 00:34:12,120 --> 00:34:16,120 points I just gave you. We first saw, first of all, that 661 00:34:16,120 --> 00:34:17,920 you must seek. So I want to ask you, what do 662 00:34:17,920 --> 00:34:20,400 you look for? If you must seek, what do you 663 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:22,400 look for? Do you look for things that are 664 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:25,400 helpful to your spirit, those things that are above? 665 00:34:26,159 --> 00:34:28,360 You know, some people are so concerned about what they put in 666 00:34:28,360 --> 00:34:30,679 their bodies for food. And by the way, there's nothing 667 00:34:30,679 --> 00:34:32,280 wrong with that. There's probably something 668 00:34:32,280 --> 00:34:34,920 pretty good about that. But some people are far more 669 00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:36,600 concerned about what they put in their body, but not what they 670 00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:39,880 put in their spirit. I found it amazing just this 671 00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:44,000 week that Robert Kennedy Junior was updating the health 672 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:47,440 standards for food and such. And I'm glad for processed foods 673 00:34:47,440 --> 00:34:49,159 being talked about, ultra processed foods. 674 00:34:49,159 --> 00:34:51,159 We talked about the difficulties with that and all that. 675 00:34:51,159 --> 00:34:52,440 I mean, I'm still going to eat Big Macs. 676 00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:56,120 But anyway, I'm just saying, it's just Marsha, don't listen. 677 00:34:56,120 --> 00:34:59,120 All right. But I actually don't really eat 678 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:00,200 Big Macs. But it's just funny. 679 00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:06,040 But the idea is, is all that. But then he also relaxed the 680 00:35:06,040 --> 00:35:10,480 idea of alcohol. Say that alcohol was a he called 681 00:35:10,480 --> 00:35:13,240 a social lubricant. And, you know, at least it'd 682 00:35:13,240 --> 00:35:15,560 make people happy and, you know, get together and all that. 683 00:35:16,320 --> 00:35:17,240 Listen. How? 684 00:35:17,240 --> 00:35:21,560 How could you? Understand one thing but not the 685 00:35:21,600 --> 00:35:25,400 other. Bible says wine's a mocker. 686 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:27,600 Strong drink is raging. Whosoever's deceived thereby is 687 00:35:27,600 --> 00:35:30,440 not wise. But this issue is far beyond 688 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:31,880 alcohol. What I'm saying is this. 689 00:35:32,240 --> 00:35:34,840 I'm saying, don't miss the forest for the trees. 690 00:35:35,680 --> 00:35:41,240 Listen, this body will someday die and decay, but your spirit, 691 00:35:41,840 --> 00:35:45,040 it lives on. There is a life after this life. 692 00:35:46,240 --> 00:35:52,920 And So what do you look for? What do you look for #2 We saw 693 00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:54,760 that you must set. And so I asked you this, What do 694 00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:57,160 you lock in? What are you locking into your 695 00:35:57,160 --> 00:36:00,280 mind? Do you read the word of God 696 00:36:00,280 --> 00:36:03,080 every day? Do you pray every day? 697 00:36:04,200 --> 00:36:06,440 You take time to meditate upon the word of God? 698 00:36:06,440 --> 00:36:08,920 Again, not talking about Eastern religion meditation where you 699 00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:11,600 cross your legs, then you can't uncross them because you know 700 00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:13,040 you're sick. I really shouldn't be doing 701 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:17,240 this, but you just think about the word of God that maybe just 702 00:36:17,240 --> 00:36:19,960 sit in your car on your drive and just think, you know, I'm 703 00:36:19,960 --> 00:36:23,040 not going to turn on the radio. I'm not going to listen to the 704 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:24,680 news, the sports, I'm not going to listen to anything. 705 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:27,200 I'm just going to think about my Bible reading this morning, how 706 00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:30,440 it affects me. Meditation. 707 00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:33,160 I would suggest you probably do it in some place other than your 708 00:36:33,160 --> 00:36:36,040 car on a regular basis because you can get pretty distracted. 709 00:36:36,040 --> 00:36:39,880 In your car. For good reasons am bad, but 710 00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:41,320 just think about the word of God. 711 00:36:41,600 --> 00:36:45,080 Do you meditate on it daily? We must regain the ground the 712 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:47,800 devil tries to take. Just like the tide, bringing the 713 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:49,800 bad stuff in and taking the good stuff out. 714 00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:53,280 What do you need to do daily? Retake the ground that he tries 715 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:56,120 to take and then you must surrender. 716 00:36:57,080 --> 00:36:58,960 So I ask you this question, what do you love? 717 00:37:00,320 --> 00:37:03,200 What do you love? I found this to be true. 718 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:05,080 People surrender either because they're forced to. 719 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:07,240 I think of the people of Vicksburg. 720 00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:10,000 People surrender because of duty. 721 00:37:10,920 --> 00:37:13,560 You know, you might surrender your rights at a job. 722 00:37:14,240 --> 00:37:16,240 You do that at a duty. You do it voluntarily. 723 00:37:16,240 --> 00:37:21,120 No one's forcing you to. Or you can surrender because of 724 00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:25,800 love, like a wedding altar where there's nothing forced. 725 00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:28,200 There's nothing there, but you're actually compelled to 726 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:31,560 surrender. Not that you do it unwillingly 727 00:37:31,560 --> 00:37:35,080 or unwittingly, but you're compelled to do it because of 728 00:37:35,080 --> 00:37:37,560 love. What kind of surrender is the 729 00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:40,680 Lord looking from you today? Is he looking to strap you down 730 00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:44,240 over a barrel and make your life so miserable that in the end 731 00:37:44,240 --> 00:37:47,000 you're finally going to say, uncle, I'll do whatever you 732 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:50,000 want, Lord. Now, the chastisement of the 733 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:51,840 Lord is real. I'm not going to lie. 734 00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:54,360 You read Hebrews chapter 12. It's a real thing. 735 00:37:54,720 --> 00:37:58,040 And he gets the attention of his children if he has to, But is 736 00:37:58,040 --> 00:38:04,160 that his desire, His desires to call us in love, draw us in with 737 00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:06,960 cords of love and that we are to go to him? 738 00:38:06,960 --> 00:38:09,000 And even when he corrects us by the way he corrects us in love, 739 00:38:09,960 --> 00:38:12,880 He has lovingly corrected us. Do that anger doesn't do that 740 00:38:12,880 --> 00:38:14,440 malice. He doesn't fly off the handle 741 00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:17,880 like people do. But will you surrender out of 742 00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:20,320 love? Well, I guess I got to surrender 743 00:38:20,320 --> 00:38:22,840 because the pastor said, well, with that attitude, just don't. 744 00:38:22,840 --> 00:38:25,880 I'm not trying to be, I'm not trying to be weird about it. 745 00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:28,320 I'm saying don't get to the place where you want to 746 00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:31,200 surrender to him, because you realize there's no one better to 747 00:38:31,200 --> 00:38:34,800 surrender to. There's no one better when you 748 00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:39,000 know him, When you truly know him, there's no one better to 749 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:41,640 surrender to. I think of the story. 750 00:38:41,640 --> 00:38:46,120 I shared it several years ago of a reception where a famous actor 751 00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:47,680 was asked to give a resuscitation. 752 00:38:48,720 --> 00:38:51,360 An old preacher that was there suggested Psalm 23. 753 00:38:52,080 --> 00:38:55,280 He did it with great oratorical skill and sat down to prolonged 754 00:38:55,280 --> 00:38:57,440 applause. Then he turned to the old 755 00:38:57,440 --> 00:38:59,480 preacher and asked him to recite the Psalm as well. 756 00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:04,320 In a weak, trembling voice, the kindly man uttered the same 757 00:39:04,320 --> 00:39:06,440 simple Psalm, but no one applauded. 758 00:39:06,440 --> 00:39:09,600 This time people began to wipe away their tears. 759 00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:13,480 The actor rose again. Ladies and gentlemen, he said 760 00:39:13,480 --> 00:39:17,440 quietly, I communicated with your eyes and your ears. 761 00:39:18,040 --> 00:39:20,960 I know the words, but my preacher friend here 762 00:39:20,960 --> 00:39:25,640 communicated with your hearts and it's because he knows the 763 00:39:25,640 --> 00:39:28,440 shepherd. You know, when you know the 764 00:39:28,440 --> 00:39:31,520 shepherd, it makes all the difference if you don't know 765 00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:34,720 Jesus Christ your Savior. Today I want to remind you what 766 00:39:34,720 --> 00:39:36,560 I tell you every week here at Liberty Baptist Church. 767 00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:41,200 You're a Sinner that only Jesus Christ can save you from your 768 00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:45,600 sin and that you must call upon Him to save you today. 769 00:39:45,840 --> 00:39:49,520 He died on the cross and shed his precious blood so that you 770 00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:51,880 could be saved. Do you know the Shepherd and 771 00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:54,240 salvation? And for those of you that are 772 00:39:54,240 --> 00:39:56,680 saved, is Christ really your all? 773 00:39:57,560 --> 00:40:04,280 Well, as we go up towards that mountain peak, you know, do you 774 00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:07,200 seek Him? You know what are you looking 775 00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:10,920 for? Do you set Him? 776 00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:15,800 What do you lock in? Do you surrender? 777 00:40:16,920 --> 00:40:19,880 Who do you love? The answer to those questions, 778 00:40:19,880 --> 00:40:22,200 and only you can answer those questions, will tell you whether 779 00:40:22,200 --> 00:40:27,400 Christ truly is all. Thank you for listening to the 780 00:40:27,400 --> 00:40:30,000 sermon from the pulpit of Liberty Baptist Church. 781 00:40:30,320 --> 00:40:33,600 If this message was a blessing to you, or if there's any way we 782 00:40:33,600 --> 00:40:36,760 can serve you, please let us know by contacting us at 783 00:40:36,880 --> 00:40:41,640 info@mylibertybaptist.org. Or you can visit us this Sunday 784 00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:45,520 at 800 Washington St. in Easton, MA. 785 00:40:45,800 --> 00:40:48,600 May the Lord bless you as you grow in His Word.