Setting Our Mind on Things Above — Zac Poonen

The Kingdom of God as Righteousness, Peace, and Joy

So, we want to continue thinking of what it means to seek the Kingdom of God first. We saw in Romans 14, 17 that the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. And we saw in Matthew chapter 3, verse 2, that it's also called the Kingdom of Heaven.

Matthew's Gospel refers to it as the Kingdom of Heaven. But when you compare that with the same verses, the same words in the other Gospels, you discover that the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven are the same.

Repentance from the Earthly Kingdom

And what I mentioned last time was, repentance is turning away from seeking the Kingdom of Earth to seeking the Kingdom of Heaven. So, if a person is not turned away from seeking an earthly kingdom and all that that involves to seeking a heavenly kingdom, he's not really fully repented.

He may have repented of some bad habits, some wrongs that he did in his life, and that's good. Repented of lustful thinking, anger, bitterness, jealousy. But his mind may still be occupied with getting something on this Earth.

His mind is still set on the Kingdom of this Earth, and he wonders why he doesn't make spiritual progress, even though he hates so many sins. But he doesn't hate this Earth. He hasn't repented from seeking the Kingdom of this Earth.

John the Baptist said, repent, turn around and seek the Kingdom of Heaven because that's coming. And when John the Baptist died, not died, but was locked up in prison, he says in Matthew 4, from that time, Jesus began to preach.

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. It had not yet come. It was going to come. Up until that time, what is the opposite of the Kingdom of Heaven? The Kingdom of Earth. And I showed you in Deuteronomy 28, that's what the Israelites were seeking all for 1 ,500 years.

There was not a thought about Heaven, because in Exodus to Malachi, there's no mention of Heaven. The only Heaven it speaks about is rain and sunshine, that's all. But not that eternal Kingdom of Heaven.

There was no promise of that for the seed of Abraham. But when Jesus died and rose again, do you remember that time when Jesus said, I'm going to die? Some of you who are standing here will not die until you see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.

That's in Matthew 16 and verse 28. Some of you will not die until you see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom. And the same thing is when you compare the Gospels with one another. In Mark chapter 9, it's written like this, it's the same thing.

Jesus said, truly I say to you, Mark 9 verse 1, some of those who are standing here will not taste death until they see the Kingdom of God come with power. Did He mean that? Did He mean that some people standing right there in front of Him would not die?

Some would die, but some of you, He said, will not die till you see the Kingdom of God come with power. Well, that's certainly not His second coming, because there's nobody alive then who lived then who's alive today.

So that definitely does not relate to His second coming. And I want to tell you a little principle of Bible study. Whenever you come to a difficult verse, don't just go around it. It's like a farmer plowing his field and he comes across a big rock and he just goes around it.

No. A good farmer will pull it out. So when you come to a difficult verse, if you go around it, that's the surest way to remain in ignorance and you will miss a blessing. Because there may be a blessing under that rock if you pull it out.

The Kingdom Comes in the Power of the Holy Spirit

What did He mean? And I really began to seek God about this and I saw the answer was in that word, power. And Jesus said in Acts 1 .8, when the Holy Spirit has come, you shall receive power. The same word.

So then I realized that what Jesus was referring to was the coming of the Holy Spirit. The coming of the Holy Spirit was the coming of the Kingdom of God in power, not on the whole earth, but in a small community of 120 people that day who became the first church and the body of Christ.

And Jesus called that the coming of the Kingdom of God with power. And so I learned from that. That was the first church, by the way, 120 people, all baptized in the Holy Spirit, 120 pieces of iron put in the furnace and all became one piece.

Then I realized that the church, a local church, is meant to be a demonstration of that Kingdom of God, which is one day going to cover this earth as the waters cover the sea. So when we talk about the day when Jesus will reign on this earth, when the rule will be the rule of love, everything will be governed by the rule of love in that kingdom.

The church is supposed to be a little demonstration of what that kingdom is going to be one day, a kingdom of purity, righteousness, joy, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. And a church which is not majoring on righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit is not fulfilling God's plan for the church in this age.

A church which is just doing social work and helping the poor, a church which is just preaching that Jesus will forgive your sin and Jesus will prosper your barns and prosper your flocks or today's equivalent, prosper your business and increase your bank account is not preaching the Kingdom of God.

It's preaching that old kingdom of earth, which John the Baptist said, turn around from that and put your back to that and turn because the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God is near. It's coming.

Freedom from the Law of Sin and Death

I'm absolutely convinced. You know, the reason why I say this is because I've been preaching this message in India and many other places for 40 years. When God filled me with the Holy Spirit in a fresh way in 1975, I said, Lord, I mean, I'd already been a Christian for 16 years.

I was born again. I was in full-time Christian work, but I was defeated inwardly. My external life was pure, but inwardly I was defeated and I knew there was more to God's kingdom. I was just like we read in Romans chapter 7.

When I read that 10th commandment, I found lusting in me of every kind and I used to say a wretched man that I am, how will I ever be delivered from this law of sin and death? Till God opened my eyes to see that there was another law, the law of the spirit, which is not commandments, which is not thou shalt, thou shalt not, thou shalt, thou shalt not.

I lived under that bondage for years and I was defeated. It was another law, law of life in Christ Jesus, not a law of commandments. It's something like I've used the example of a pig and a cat. You know, you can keep a pig clean in a dirty environment by keeping chains on it, but a cat doesn't need those chains because it's got a life that detests dirt.

Have you seen a cat always licking itself clean? You look at that cat and you say, I don't see a speck of dust in it. Why in the world is it licking itself clean? It's got such a passion for purity. That's why I take that as a picture of a true Christian, always judging himself.

Maybe there's one little speck of dust here. I want to get rid of it. It's a wonderful example of purity, so different from the pig. For a pig it shall, thou shalt, thou shalt not, and if you have to be kept in purity by commandments given by your parents and commandments given by your pastor and this and that and the other, you haven't come into the life of Christ.

You haven't come into the new covenant. And that's what I want to introduce you to. The law of the spirit, Paul says, set me free. It was the law of the spirit, which is life in Christ Jesus, lifted me up, set me free from the law of sin and death.

It's another life that lifted me up. It's something like the law of gravity. You know, here is the law of gravity pulling this pen down. Wherever you go in the world, the law of gravity will pull it down.

But here is now the law of gravity cannot conquer it. There's another law, the law of life in my body, which is lifting up this pen, even though the law of gravity is trying its best to pull it down right now, very strongly, but it does not fall.

This is a picture, if you really want to know how the life of Jesus Christ lifts us up. You know, Jude says, he can keep you from falling. That's what he does. I remember in the early days when I really began to experience victory over grumbling and discouragement and murmuring and anger and things like that.

As it took some time, it took some years, but as I came to it, and I would say, the Lord has given me victory over sin. I got victory over sin. The Lord said, don't say that. Say, Jesus keeps me from falling.

Not, I have got victory over sin, but Jesus keeps me from falling. The same thing, but it's got a different ring about it, right? Very different ring when you say, I've got victory over sin, and you say, Jesus keeps me from falling.

So now I say, Jesus keeps me from falling, because it's a moment by moment thing. No one can pluck me out of his hand, but I'm not a robot. I can jump out of his hand if I want, but I will not. Why should I jump into the muck?

If somebody's holding you up above the muck, would you like to jump into it? No, I've spent enough years in the muck. I don't want to jump into it anymore. I'm thankful that somebody keeps me from falling, and I want to stay there.

Humility, Temptation, and Setting the Mind Above

There's only one condition to stay there. Listen, my brothers and sisters, only one condition. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. Whatever God allows in your life, bow your head and say, Lord, I accept it.

I will never complain about anything you send into my life. Any circumstance, I will bow down and I'll humble myself. God gives his grace to the humble. And when we think of turning our mind away from the things of Earth, do you know that even Jesus was tempted by Satan?

Satan offered him all the kingdoms of the world and said, I'll give this to you. But what did Jesus have to do? You know the answer? He had to bow down to Satan. If you bow down to me, I'll give you everything of this Earth.

And I'll tell you what I learned from there. Please listen. Whenever I'm seeking for something on this Earth, I have to bow down to Satan a little bit to get it. I'm not saying that I have to compromise.

You may not tell a lie, you may not cheat. But the very fact that your mind is set on the things of Earth and of how to make a little more for yourself of this Earth shows that the devil's got a little bit of a hold on your mind.

Because the Bible says, in Colossians, in chapter three, if you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. Colossians 3 verse 1 is very clear. If you have been raised up with Christ, that's the first question.

Maybe you've not been raised up with Christ. Maybe you're still living in your sin. Then of course it doesn't apply to you. But if you claim to be born again, that Christ has raised you up from that dead Adamic life, then keep seeking the things above.

It's a very clear command. Keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above and not on the things that are on the Earth. That's the meaning of repentance.

My mind is set. And you say, well, what about all the earthly needs I have? That's exactly what Jesus said. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all your earthly needs will be added to you.

It'll be thrown in. I guarantee that. I've experienced it for 57 years. I'm not telling you something I heard yesterday. It's absolutely true, and I've proved it not only in my life. I've proved it among the poorest believers in some of the poorest places of the world, in the villages of India.

I've seen it. People have sought God's kingdom first and set their mind on things above. Poor people, uneducated people, illiterate people. How God has provided them, even though they don't have education, taking care of their needs.

Maybe they didn't become millionaires, thank God they didn't. But their needs were provided. And they have a glorious future if your mind is set on the things above. So that's what John was telling people in Israel, John the Baptist.

Seeking the Things Above Rather Than Earthly Security

Turn around and seek the kingdom of heaven. And I want to say that to all of you who have heard this message for many years and are still defeated by sin in your thoughts, in where your mind is set, ask yourself, not whether you've repented from dirty thoughts or repented from telling lies or repented from anger.

Have you repented from seeking the things of earth, which is an altogether different thing? Have you obeyed this command which says, set your mind on the things above and not on the things of earth, Colossians 3 .2.

Is that in your Bible? That's the first thing you need to see. Do you believe the Bible is the word of God? Is that in your Bible? Is it a suggestion or a commandment? If it's a suggestion, you can do what you like and say, Lord, I don't accept that suggestion.

But there are no suggestions in this book, only commandments. Set your mind on the things that are above. It's exactly what John the Baptist was preaching. And not on the things of earth as you've been, he told these lies, 1 ,500 years you've been seeking these earthly things.

And for some of you, John the Baptist would say, you've been seeking the things of earth for all these 20 years since you were born again. Are you willing to turn around now and start setting your mind on the things above?

You will experience a level of the Christian life that you've never experienced so far, and all your earthly needs will still be met. It's amazing, I don't understand why anybody wouldn't choose that.

Why would anybody choose to set his mind on things of earth and have all the worries and anxieties that come along with it, when he can have a mindset on the things above where he will have joy 24 hours a day, peace 24 hours a day, because he set his mind on the things above, and have all his earthly needs added to him.

Unless he's covetous and wants more than what is necessary for his earthly life. He wants more, and more, and more, and more like a lot of Christians. And the more they seek of the things of earth, the more their mind is bowing down to Satan.

That's what the devil told Jesus. I'll give you everything on this earth if you will just bow down to me. And I believe that's what's happened years ago. I heard the story of him, whether it was a true or apocryphal story, I don't know, of a businessman who was a Christian, very active in Christian work, regular at the meetings.

He had a little business to support himself, but God blessed his business, it's true, and it prospered, and it prospered, and it prospered, and as it prospered and business increased, he couldn't come to all the meetings of the church now because business demanded more time there, and after a while it came to the point where even Sunday he would have to rush off before the meeting was over.

He had no time for fellowship because business demanded so much. He wasn't cheating, he wasn't telling lies, he wasn't doing anything contrary to God's word, but the demands of business became so much.

The elder in his church went and visited him and said, hey, why don't you come to the church? He says, yes, I'll come, I'll come. You know how they all say that, that God works to do. One day, he had three sons.

One day a snake, a very poisonous snake, bit one of his children. And it was very serious, and he was admitted in the hospital, and the doctor gave up all hope of his son recovering. Then he thought about God, and he called the elder and said, can you please come and pray for my son?

The elder was a wise man. He said, Lord, three years I tried to make these people think of you, and I never succeeded. But what I couldn't do in three years, the snake has done in one day. It's amazing.

Now, Lord, heal this child and send a couple of other snakes to bite the other two sons as well. So that they'll turn to you for the rest of their life and never turn away from you. I want to ask you, my dear brothers and sisters, does it have to be a snake bite that finally makes you wake up and say, I shouldn't be spending so much time making money, and so little time for God?

Does it take a snake bite? I hope not. I hope the love of Jesus will draw us to him more than snake bites. Set your mind on things above. I'll tell you, if God allows a snake bite, it's because he loves you.

If he's given up on you, no snake will bite you. He'll just let you go to hell undisturbed, like he does so many people. God disciplines those whom he loves. So I believe that here is the reason why many, many Christians never enter into this life that is described in the New Testament.

Righteousness Fulfilled Within by the Holy Spirit

Let me give you a description of this kingdom of God life, seeking the kingdom of God, which is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. I first of all showed you what righteousness was from Romans 8 and verse 4, what the law required, which Paul says, I just could not fulfill.

I tried and tried and tried and tried and tried. Finally, God did something, and the righteousness of the law, Romans 8, 4, can now be fulfilled inside me. That's the important word in Romans 8, 4. Till now, it is only the nine commandments on the outside.

But the law demanded in the tenth commandment that I should fulfill this inside, and I could never do it. I had this lusting of every kind, he says in Romans 7. But finally, God did it through the Holy Spirit.

This is why it is important to be filled with the Holy Spirit every day. Many ways Jesus taught this, the last miracle that Jesus did. Do you remember what was the last miracle that Jesus did? It was after his resurrection.

When the disciples were toiling and toiling all night, catching nothing. A picture of life under the law, that's what Jesus was teaching them. You live under the law, you will toil all night, and you will catch nothing.

You'll be defeated, defeated, defeated, defeated, defeated. Till you come to the end of yourself, then the Lord appeared on the shore and said, listen to me, cast your net on the right side. And in a moment, they'd never had such a catch in their entire life.

What is the meaning of this parable? That the Lord can do for you in a moment what years of struggling can never do. Grace accomplishes in a moment what years of struggling under the law cannot do. Now these are all interesting expressions that you've probably heard many times, but I want to ask you whether you've experienced it.

I used to hear messages like this, and I never experienced it in my life. And I'll tell you why we don't experience it. We don't come to that place where we say, oh, wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver me from this body of death?

I want to ask you, when was the last time you wept on your pillow at night? Because you had one dirty thought during that day, or you spoke in a rude way once to somebody. And it brought such remorse to you that you wept before God and said, Lord, why did I do that?

That's not Christ-like. That's not the way I should speak to somebody. So many Christians, they speak rudely, it doesn't disturb them. They have a dirty thought. Yeah, Lord, forgive me, cleanse me in your blood, and they move on.

It's like they treat the blood of Christ like tap water. My hand's dirty, just go under the tap, rub it off, use some soap. Soap is cheap, blood of Christ is cheap. You treat the blood of Christ like that, I'm not surprised that you don't get victory.

You won't get victory in 100 years. No, you will live in this endless circle of sinning, asking forgiveness, being forgiven, sinning again, the same old things. And that's why the devil wants to keep you on that merry-go-round forever and ever and ever.

And I want to tell you that the Lord is challenging you today to get out of that. Cry out to God, Lord, how will I be free from this? And the Lord says, turn around, don't set your mind on the things of earth.

Set your mind on the things above. All your earthly need will be added to you. That's how Paul came to righteousness, where the righteousness of the law was fulfilled inside him. Not just on the outside.

Inner Purity Versus Outward Religious Appearance

You know, this was the condemnation that Jesus made against the Pharisees. Your outer life is clean, but your inner life is corrupt. And any Christian to whom Jesus says that, your outer life is clean, and your inner life is corrupt, he's like the Pharisees.

Did you ever think that you could be like the Pharisees? If your inner life, if your outer life before everybody else in your church is clean, and you've got a good testimony, but your inner life is corrupt, that's exactly what Jesus told the Pharisees.

You clean the outside of the cup, but the inside is dirty. Paul was a Pharisee, and his life was like that, but he got fed up of it. And I think we're all like that in the beginning. Our outer life is clean, because we really want to turn away from everything that we know is ungodly, and we will get to a clean external life.

But when we get there, we find that our inner life is dirty. Every Christian finds it. But a few among them, sometimes one in a hundred, says, Lord, I wouldn't want it to be like this. Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me?

Those are the ones who come through to an overcoming life. The remaining just remain with an outer clean life. In other words, I believe God's testing us. The Bible says, man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.

So God is testing you, really, on this one issue. Are you satisfied with men and women approving of you, and thinking you're a good Christian? Are you happy with that? That people in your church think you're a wonderful Christian, because you preach so well, you pray so well, and you teach so many wonderful things.

But when I look at your heart, there's so much of secret sin, so much of secret longing for things you'd be ashamed if other people in your church knew that this is what you spend your mind, your time thinking about.

Setting the Mind on Heaven in Daily Life

When it says, set your mind on things above, I've often used this illustration of a rubber band. If I tied a rubber band up here, which is a picture of heaven, I've tied it up here, I need to live on this earth, so I need to have my mind thinking about earthly things when I'm working in an office, or working in a factory, or we have to work eight hours a day to earn our living, that's fine.

I stretch this rubber band down to earthly things for eight hours a day, or however long you work every day, you have to concentrate on what you're doing. But the moment I've finished all my earthly work, or you're a housewife, perhaps, cooking, looking after the children, your mind has to be stretched down to these earthly things.

But the moment all of that is done, the rubber band is released, it goes back. To think about the things above. Is that how your mind is? With many Christians, it's the other way around. The rubber band is tied down to the things of earth.

Always occupied with the things of earth. They stretch it on Sunday morning for two hours to think about the things of God. Then back to the things of earth. They stretch it maybe for half an hour Bible reading on the days they remember to read the Bible.

And then back again to the things of earth. The rubber band is tied in the wrong place. That's the problem. The Bible says, set your mind on things above. And when you need to do your work on earth, definitely concentrate on it.

When Jesus was working as a carpenter, I believe he was concentrating on what he was doing, making sure the tables and chairs that he made were perfect. But then when he was free from that, he wasn't thinking how to become the richest carpenter in Nazareth.

That wasn't on his mind at all. No. How could he be the richest carpenter in Nazareth when he would make free tables and stools for widows and help poor people and all? He could never be the richest carpenter in Nazareth if you do things like that.

You've got to selfishly concentrate on making money if you want to be the richest carpenter in Nazareth. That wasn't his goal. His goal was to earn his living and fulfill his father's will during his life on earth.

His mind was set on the things above. But there are very few Christians like that. Why is every single born-again Christian should be like that? It's because they have not heard the voice of John the Baptist saying, turn around from seeking the things of earth because the kingdom of heaven is near.

The kingdom of heaven has come. When John the Baptist preached it, it was near. On the day of Pentecost, it came. And the church is supposed to be a demonstration consisting of people who are seeking the kingdom of heaven first, the kingdom of God first, whose mind is primarily set on the things above.

That is the righteousness of God's kingdom. It's not just that I'm externally righteous, I pay my taxes, I don't tell lies, I don't fool around with women, I'm upright. That's a human righteousness. The righteousness of the kingdom is where my mind is set on the things above.

And earth is only a place where I need to earn my living. You know, what does it mean when it says we are strangers and pilgrims on this earth? The Bible speaks about that. That's what John the Baptist is calling us to.

Rejoicing in the Lord and Freedom from Anxiety

And when we choose that, one proof of it will be, like it says in Romans 14, 17, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Think of words like this, rejoice in the Lord always, Philippians 4 .4. I don't know how many Christians can honestly say that they rejoice in the Lord no matter what happens in the world around them, no matter what happens in their life.

They don't rejoice in their circumstances, but they rejoice in the Lord and they will never lose their joy. This is one of the things I began to seek God for when I found myself defeated. I read that verse and I said, Lord, it is not true in my life.

It doesn't say rejoice most of the time. It says rejoice always in the Lord. Is such a life possible? Every Christian around me said impossible. Paul said possible. He had it. And he said, again, I say to you, rejoice.

So I said, Lord, at least there's one man who lived like that. And I'm sure there are others whom I don't know, but I want to live that life. I don't care what it costs. I want to come to a life. And I was a very discouraged person, frequently discouraged, gloomy.

And I said, Lord, I want you to so fill me with the Holy Spirit that I will experience this kingdom of God, righteousness and joy in the Holy Spirit, always in the Lord. I want to tell you very humbly, God did it in me.

He did a miracle. And it's possible. My circumstances are always not very convenient. It doesn't make a difference to me. It will not alter my rejoicing in the Lord. And I believe that is God's will for all of you.

I remember a time, you know, I seek to do something to earn my own living. I've been doing that for 40 years. I'm not supported by any church. I support myself. But in my little business, I do. Once I lost a huge amount of money.

And I said, Lord, why did that happen? And the Lord said, well, a few days ago, you prayed that you wanted to be free from the love of money. Oh, that's the case. Fine. Thank you, Lord. I got an answer.

And I said, no, that's fine. If you took it away from me because you wanted to answer my prayer, to free me from the love of money, do it again. No Christian would pray that, right? Do it again. I said, Lord, I want to be free.

It's more important to me to be free from the love of money than to have a large bank account. Do you really believe that? I stand before God and I say, for me to be free from the love of money is more important than to have a large bank account.

I hope all of you will be able to say that. I tell you, your life will change. Your life will be useful to God on this earth. You will stand before the Lord one day without regret that instead of drifting along as a church member, you accomplish something for God.

You learn to rejoice, not in money, but in the Lord always. And that's just one part of it. And peace, freedom from anxiety. I want to say one more thing before I close. We'll continue tomorrow. You know, one of the things that John the Baptist said, I like John the Baptist.

Personal Repentance Rather Than Glorying in Religious Associations

He's been one of my great heroes for many, many years. And the more I meditated on him, the wonderful things he said, saying he must increase, but I must decrease. Things like that, amazing statements.

One of the things he said when the Pharisees came to him for baptism in Matthew chapter three, he said to them in verse nine, don't suppose that you can say we have Abraham for our father. I will not baptize you, you Pharisees.

However much you may say, Abraham is your father. You know, they gloried in their connection to a great man of God, Abraham. And it's very easy for people to glory in their connection or their relationship to a man of God today.

I belong to this church, which was founded by so-and-so. I mean, you may be a carnal person, but you glory in belonging to a particular group of people associated with holiness, or holiness of the Spirit, or a man of God.

And I want to say to you, if John the Baptist would say to you, don't glory in that. It means nothing. If you don't have... I see a lot of people, I've seen a lot of people, you know, I remember the early days when we started preaching these things in India.

A lot of people despised us. They thought we were heretics and all that. They thought we were preaching an impossible standard. And I said, well, I'm not here to argue with anybody. Time will show. God will shut their mouths when they see the results after many years.

Now after 40 years, and people have seen the results in a number of believers and a number of churches in India, some of their mouths have been shut because they've seen some of the results of churches that live by an altogether different standard than many churches around.

But then what happens? And this is what's happened even in our churches. People come in and become a part of that church because they say, hey, this is a good church to go to, and there's good preaching here, and the good brothers and sisters who care for us, and et cetera, et cetera.

And then they glory that they belong to CFC. Oh, we're connected with Christian Fellowship Church. It's exactly the same thing there. God has no value for that. God wants to see whether you personally are having your mind set on things above.

I tell people this. Don't glory that you know me personally or you're connected to me. It means nothing. It has no value before God. Don't glory in it. What is your personal life like? Can you honestly say before God that your mind is set on the things above?

Then you're okay. Whichever church you may belong to, don't glory that Abraham is your father and your connection with the man of God. And yet I see there are many, many people, even today, and some even in the United States, they glory in their connection to a group or to a man of God.

That's carnality. It's 100 carnality. If you went to John the Baptist, he would not baptize you. He said, I don't care who you're connected with. What about your personal life? Have you turned around from seeking the kingdom of this earth?