Set Your Affection On Things Above
I.
Colossians 3:1-Even
though we live on the Earth we need to be Heavenly minded – Living on
Earth, Looking from above
A. Colossians 3:1, Ephesians
1:17-2:10-You have been risen with Christ
1.
1:18-God
wants you to know the hope of your calling
a. AMP-By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light so
that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you
b. Revelation of Him 1st,
Revelation of your calling 2nd, Revelation of your inheritance 3rd,
Revelation of power 4th
2.
2:6-You
were raised from the dead and seated at the right of the Father with Jesus,
just like Jesus was
a. 2:1,5-6-AND YOU is big
b/c it reveals to us that the same thing that happened to Jesus in Ephesians
1:20-23 happened to us and we got the same treatment that He got; The same
power, same life, same seat, same raising; 8-By grace we got treated the same
3.
2:10-God
has a good plan for your life – *He raised you, sat you, and has a plan
for you
a. You are sitting there and
God has a plan for you here, but he sat you there b/c he wants your perspective
from to be there
b. One of the big reasons
God gave you the same seat is so that you could have the same perspective
B. Colossians 3:1-Being
seated in Heaven enables me to look from Heaven and have a Heavenly perspective
(view) about this earthly life
1.
Different
seat = Different perspective; A different perspective changes what you see, You
have a heavenly view of earthly life
a. I am here but I’m seated
there and my perspective is from there
2.
Being
Heavenly minded is not living down here only thinking about going there (You
are already there); It’s living down here looking from up there, viewing and
seeing life on earth as heaven views it and sees it
a. We need to get a Heavenly
perspective about life on this Earth (What’s truly important and valuable and
what’s not?
b. When we look from Heaven
we see this earthly life much differently
c. The only way to live an
effective, fruitful earthly life is to have a heavenly perspective about
earthly life
d. An earthly perspective
about earth life will lead to a vain, fruitless, wasted life
3.
Being
earthly-minded is living like this Earth and life on Earth is all there is and
being absorbed and consumed by it
a. MSG-So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection
life with Christ, act like it. Pursue
the things over which Christ presides.
Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the
ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going
on around Christ – that’s where the action is. See
things from His perspective.
C. Heaven’s perspective
about earthly life – Being Heavenly minded
1.
You
have been sent from Heaven
2.
To
do something for God (Your life has kingdom purpose)
3.
You
don’t have unlimited time
4.
More
to life than life on Earth – Earthly life is not all there is
5.
The
biggest thing in my life is to do what God sent me to do and I’m willing to
make any sacrifice, to pay any price to get it done
6.
My
fulfillment in life comes from doing what God sent me to do and there are
rewards for what I did with this life after this life
D. Once your risen with him
what you seek changes, what you set your mind on changes because you’re
perspective changes
1.
If
you view this earthly life from the wrong place you’ll have the wrong
perspective and you’ll seek after and set your affection on things that are
important at all
II.
Set your affection on
things above – We should set our affection on the most important thing
and the most important thing is above and not on the Earth
A. Why is he having to tell
people who are risen with Christ to seek those things that are above? Why would
he have to tell believers this? Apparently there are some who get saved and
don’t seek those things that are above and don’t set their affection on things
above, but rather get consumed with this earthly life
1.
Seek
& Set-Kingdom things should mean more to you than earthly things –
God’s stuff, Heaven’s business should mean enough to you that you pursue it and
set your affection on it; We should be striving after and setting our affection
on Kingdom business/things
a. YLT-If, then, ye were raised with Christ, the things above seek ye, where the Christ is, on the
right hand of God seated, the things above mind
ye, no the things upon the earth, for ye did die and your life hath been
hid with the Christ in God
b. Seek-Strive after and go about heavenly things, the father’s
business (Seek-Strive after, Go
about)
c. Set-Direct
your mind, set your mind on heavenly things, the father’s business
B. We should set our
affection on Kingdom things
1.
Affection-To direct one’s mind to
a thing, to seek, to strive for; To regard; The parts of the heart (where you
treasure is); The stated of being affected; Passion; A bent mind towards an
object; Love or zealous attachment; Desire, inclinaition,
propensity
a. 1.Direct your mind to
– 2.Seek, pursue, strive after – 3.Regard, value, esteem, treasure –
4.Have passion for, love and be zealous about – 5.Have an inclination
for-Love, affection, regard desire (some have an inclination for music) –
6.Lean your mind an will towards and favor over another thing (You just have
propensity to pick kingdom stuff over other stuff)
b. Kingdom of God things-That’s
where we should be directing our minds, that’s what we should be seeking,
pursuing, striving after, that’s what we should regard, value, esteem and
treasure, that’s what we should have a passion for, love and desire and be
zealous about and our mind and will should lean towards kingdom things and we
should favor those things over everything else
2.
Live
for what is in Heaven – ERV-Live for what is in heaven. Think only about what is up there
3.
Give
your thoughts to and focus on Heavenly things – CEB-Think about the
things above; CJB-Focus your
minds on things above; JUB-Set
your sight on things above; TLB-Let
Heaven fill your thoughts; don’t spend your time worrying about things down
here; ISV-Keeping focusing on
the things that are above; AMP-Set your mind and keep focused habitually on heavenly things, not on earthly things [which have only temporal value].
4.
Treasure
Heavenly things-CEV-Set your heart on what is in heaven. Think about what is up there; WYC-Savor the things above; JB-Give your heart to the Heavenly things,
not to the passing things of Earth;
5.
Pursue
Heavenly things – EXB-Aim at, aspire, seek after, focus on things above. Think only about [Set your minds on; Fix your thoughts
on]
6.
The
biggest thing in your life should get the most of your time, energy, resources
and attention
C. Set your affection on
things above – This is something you do
1.
Because
he his telling you to set it on things above that reveals to me that you set
your affection where you choose
2.
You
can set your affection on whatever you choose the same way you can a cup on a
table
3.
If
most of your thought is given to going to work, taking care of your family,
your financial future, your recreational activities and little to no thought is
given to kingdom things then YOU HAVE SET your mind on things on the Earth and
not on things above – YOU made the choice to set that cup on that table
D. Don’t set your affection
on things of the earth
1.
We
shouldn’t be directing our minds to earthly things, we shouldn’t be seeking,
pursuing, striving after earthly things; we shouldn’t regard, value, esteem and
treasure things of the earth; We shouldn’t be passionate about and love and
desire and be zealous about earthly things and we shouldn’t favor earthly
things over Heavenly things
2.
Earthly
things shouldn’t do much for the believer
a. Colossians 3:3-TLB-Let Heaven fill your thoughts; don’t spend
your time worrying bout things down here. You
should have as little desire for this world as a dead person does.
b. That doesn’t mean you
don’t laugh and have fun and enjoy earthly things, but in comparison to Heavenly
things earthly things don’t do much for you; earthly things don’t fill me up
inside and bring true contentment and satisfaction in my life
3.
Even
though live down there don’t set your affection on things down there and get
consumed by life down here – DON’T DO THIS
a. Because we live on the
earth there is a temptation to be consumed by earthly life and live like
earthly life is all there is
III.
Colossians 3:1-2-Why do
you set your affection on things above, why do you direct your mind up rather
than setting your mind on earthly things? Because you are dead as far as this
world is concerned and your new real life is up
A. You need to seek and
strive after and be about what’s up and set your mind on things that are up
because your life is up
1.
Your
life is hid with Christ in God; God has a life prepared for you, it’s be laid
out, everything you would ever need, want, or desire in life He has prepared
for you, He has hid it for you; Where is it? It’s up! Your real life, genuine
life, absolute fullness of life, blessed life is up; It’s in discovering where
God wants you to be, what he wants you to be doing and getting after it and
being about it
2.
Don’t
be earthly minded because real life isn’t down here and many believers are
looking for it down here
B. Life-Of the absolute fullness of life, life real and genuine, a
life active and vigorous, blessed
1.
If
you want to find real life and experience real life then you need to direct
your mind up
2.
Fullness
of life means there was nothing missing in it, nothing missing about it
3.
VOICE-Stay focused on what’s above, not
earthly things because your old life is dead and gone. Your new life is now hidden, enmeshed
with the Anointed who is in God.
IV.
There is a danger that if
you don’t direct your mind up you will become consumed with earthly things
A. This is something you
have to do on purpose you direct your mind to Heavenly things and don’t let it
go earthly; If you don’t direct your mind up, it will be earthly and stay
earthly
1.
You’re
not going to going to develop a Heavenly mindset accidently; this is something
you do on purpose; You got to develop and cultivate a Heavenly mindset, a
Heavenly perspective; AMP-Set your minds and keep them set on what is above; NET-Keep seeking the things above; keep
thinking about things above
B. You’re going to have to
work to not let your mind go earthly and to keep first things first
1.
They
didn’t even seek Jesus because they saw miracles, but for the natural bread and
this shows that they are earthly minded, not heavenly minded, interested in and
occupied by earthly things, not heavenly things
a. John 6:26 MSG-You’ve come looking for me not because you saw
God in my actions but because I fed you, filled your stomachs and for free.
b. The most important thing
in their life was finding him so that they could eat-This being earthly minded
2.
You
have to set your mind and keep it set on Heavenly things b/c if you let it go,
it will just fall right back into earthly thinking
a. Living immersed in the
world will cause us to be conformed to the world’s thinking and beliefs and
values and will cause us to be earthly minded, have an earthly perspective and
in turn we will miss our Heavenly purpose
b. If you stay away from the
Word of God, you won’t realize it but you will be immersed in ungodly mentality
and it is subtly shaping and reshaping your thinking and your values and your
perspectives and what the enemy wants you to do is lull you into an earthly
mindset and you just drift through life unaware of your call, of your grace, of
what you’re supposed to be doing in the kingdom
c. If we will immerse
ourselves in the Word our minds will be renewed we gain a heavenly perspective
and mindset and we’ll begin to think like God and see what He holds as valuable
and His priorities and we’ll begin to be aware of why we are and what we are
supposed to do