Set Your Minds On Things Above — Donny Coulter

Logan's testimony gives us food for thought. I hope that it gives you food for thought. That there is a reason why God has called His children to a walk and a life of holiness. Because with His actions and His words in public, His Father was saying one thing.

Look at me, I'm a called out one. I'm a separate one. And with His actions in private, He was saying something extremely different. And to me, that speaks volumes as to why. Here is this young boy confused, young man confused as to what does it really mean to have a relationship with Jesus.

And if all of God's children are walking around with that kind of attitude towards their walk with God, then there are going to be all kinds of people walking around going, what does it mean to have a relationship with Jesus?

Do you understand why God gives commands like we've been talking about? There's a reason why. Because God, remember we said a couple of weeks ago that God called the children of Israel. He called Abraham.

And we've been telling the story of Jacob, who was the father of the Israelites. See, the 12 tribes of Israelites came from Jacob, who was later named Israel. And He called them out and made them a separate people, a holy nation.

And He gave them laws by which they were to operate in, so for the very purpose of showing that He was God. Above all other gods, and that same principle applies to us as God's children. We are called to a life of holiness, not a mundane life of, well, it's okay, it's forgiven.

And so we have been speaking of the practical side of this, and we are going to get really practical today. Colossians chapter 3, let's read and then we'll pray. We're going to read through verse 17 again.

And I want you to pay attention again to the negative side, and then the positive side. On the negative, there are 10 things that we should not do. And then on the positive side, there are 10 things that we should do.

And how we should do them. Colossians 3, verse 1. If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above. Where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, and not on the things on the earth.

For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ and God. Do you remember the illustration last week? With the donkey and the top? Verse 4. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him.

Look at this transition verse, verse 5. Therefore. And we discovered therefore is there because of verses 1 through 4. Because we have been raised with Christ. Because we have died, and our life is hidden in Christ.

Because we are to have our mind on things above, and not on things of the earth. Because Christ is our life, and all of our life. And because someday we will appear with Him as Him. When Christ is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Therefore, put to death your members which are on the earth. Put to death your members which are on the earth. It literally means that we are to kill this sensual, worldly nature. That we have lurking within every one of us.

We'll speak to that in a moment. Therefore, put to death your members which are on the earth. Fornication, or sexual immorality. Uncleanness, or impurity. Passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry.

Because of these things, the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. In which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. Did you hear what he said? There is a difference between you without Christ, and you with Christ.

And that's what we're talking about. Verse 7. Again, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all of these. There are no exception clause in any of these.

Put off all of these. Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language. Out of your mouth. Do not lie one to another. Since you have put off the old man with his deeds. And have put on the new man who is renewed in the knowledge according to the image of him who created him.

Where there is neither Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised. Barbarian, Scythian, slave or free. But Christ is all and in all. Now we're going to look at the positive. Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved.

Put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, bearing with one another, forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so also you must do.

But above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts. To which you also were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.

Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed. Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Father, I pray in these next few moments we have. May your Holy Spirit do his work to teach us. I pray that our hearts and our ears would be opened. That we might be able to receive from you what you would have said to us.

God, I pray that we would be sensitive enough to listen and then respond. By the power of your Holy Spirit. May you do this work in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. He says now, put to death. Verses 1 and 2 speak of things above.

Verse 5 transitions to this earthly nature. This earthly nature that is bent towards sin. And he says now, we are to put to death those members that are earthly. Or that earthly sensual nature that we have that we all wrestle with.

We are to kill that earthly sensual nature. Now death is separation. Right? That's the word. The word actually means separated. So when we die our spirit is separated from our body. I remember going to the funeral home when my dad passed away.

Are we having problems? It is glitching out. Are we there? Can you hear me? Alright. I won't move my arm. I remember going to the funeral home after my dad passed away. When dad passed away they wheeled his body in.

I got there the day after he had died. And they wheeled his body in for me to say goodbye. And I remember sitting and looking at the body. And there was literally no emotion for me. Because that was not my father.

He was gone. He was in the very presence of God. And I remember thinking that the funeral home attendant said to me, Would you like me to stay? And I said, No, it's just fine. This is not my dad. It's just his shell.

He had separated from his body. Death is about separation. And so when he says here to mortify, to kill, to put to death your fleshly nature, He's saying between you and all of those sensual things that come along with that nature that desires that.

Therefore, separate yourselves from the deeds of the old nature. Die to the deeds of the old nature. The old nature's power is dead. It's dead. It's gone. It no longer has power over you. If you are a child of God, it no longer has power over you.

The problem is we fail to recognize that one truth. And because of that, we fall prey constantly to this over and over and over again. Turn to Romans chapter 6. I'm going to read this out of the NASB, if you will allow me that.

Romans chapter 6. We're just going to read. I'm not going to do a lot of teaching. I want you to hear the word of God. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be.

How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? Therefore, we have been buried with him through baptism into death so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in the newness of life.

For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing this, that our old self, that is that old sensual nature, that earthly nature, was crucified with him in order that our body of sin might be done away with so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.

Now we sing the song, I'm no longer a slave to fear. I always, because this verse is a memory verse for me, it always comes out in my mouth, I'm no longer a slave to sin. But he says, we would no longer be slaves to sin for he who has died is freed from sin.

Now, if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again, death no longer is master over him, that is Christ.

For the death that he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life that he lives, he lives to God. Even so, consider yourselves to be dead. To be dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, because you are dead, because the old nature has been crucified with Christ, because you are dead, the old nature is dead, the old man is dead, look what he says, therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lust.

And do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourself to God as those alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. What then, shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? May it never be. Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are the slaves of the one to whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death or of obedience resulting in righteousness.

But thanks be to God, though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were committed. And having been freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.

I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness resulting in sanctification, which is what we've been talking about.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. Therefore, what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.

But now, having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit resulting in sanctification, and the outcome is eternal life. Now, turn back over to Colossians. Do you see why he says, I would love to spend four hours with you walking through what we just read, but we're not going to do that.

The Holy Spirit is good enough that when you hear the Word of God, He can make it come alive. The point of all of that reading is that you are dead to sin, and when He says to mortify the deeds of the flesh, to kill the deeds of the flesh, or the fleshly nature, it's already been done.

It's a matter of exercising that by faith in your life. It is a matter of faith that we kill the old nature. So you understand, when we do this, it is an unreserved decision of the will that you are carrying out.

I will, I must, I must, I will put to death all of these things. It is a decisive action with urgency in your life. It is also necessary for you to access, to be able to do this, it's necessary for you to access the very power that God has given you, and we read that in Ephesians chapter 1, verses 18 and 19 last week.

Therefore, you do not have an excuse. You do not have an excuse when it comes to fornication or sexual immorality. We do not have an excuse. When it comes to malice and anger, we do not have an excuse to say, well, you know, it's because she did this, I did this, it's because he did this, I did this, because my neighbor did this, I'm doing this.

Well, you don't understand how hard this is. We are without excuse anymore. You can't say, I just can't beat it. It's power is too strong. It's pull is too hard. I can't overcome. I can't do it. If we can say, I can't do it, knowing that we have access to the very power of God to do it, and to live that out by faith, then it's no longer about I can't, but it is about I want.

Now, I want you to remember, as we talk through these five things that we're going to talk about today, keep in mind that this is not about keeping your relationship with God. This is not about maintaining a relationship with God.

If you are not able to do this and you are God's children, God is not going to kick you out of the family. If you are a child of God, then this is not being sinless and less sinful. It does not give you any more position with God.

He has saved you, and you are saved. You will never be more saved tomorrow if you are less sinless tomorrow than you are today in your sinfulness. If you are a believer and you are a child of God, then this is not about maintaining your position with God.

It is about putting to death those things that are there so that we can represent and glorify God in a proper way. So let's look at the list. It begins with sexual immorality. Look at verse 5. Therefore, put to death your members which are on the earth, your fleshly nature on the earth, and its deeds.

And here are the deeds of the fleshly nature. Fornication or sexual immorality. This is the word pornonea. You obviously can understand where we get the word pornography from. It comes from this Greek word pornonea.

This word sexual immorality is a word that can be translated fornication, sexual deviancy. Before we define sexual immorality, that which is immoral sex, we must define what is moral. Do you understand what I'm saying when I say that?

We must find what is moral. Where do we find what is moral about our sexuality? Where do we find that? Oh, come on. Silence in the room? How do we define what is moral about sexuality? Come on now. Help me out.

This is where we find out what is moral about sexuality. Now, today I'm going to say some things that some people are not going to like if they hear this. But we are going to, I've said that I will not avoid issues when we get to them in the word of God, and I will not do so.

I will stand on the word of God and teach the word of God. Sexual immorality. Moral sex is defined by God within the confines of marriage between a man and a woman. That is the definition of moral sex with God.

Anything outside of that relationship is defined as immoral sex or sexual immorality. Marriage is defined by God, of course, as between one man and one woman. We can't go into all of the verses and all of the scriptures that teach us this, but we can say with authority that the word of God that teaches that marriage is between a man and a woman.

And within the marriage, Hebrews says that within the marriage, the bed is undefiled. The sexual relationship that we have with our husband and our wife is undefiled because of marriage. Now, therefore, that means that sexual immorality would include any kind of premarital sex.

Therefore, we are to have or not to participate in any premarital sex. The Bible calls that fornication. Sex outside of marriage or before marriage is outside of the confines of what God has defined as His moral sex.

Also, there is to be no extramarital sex. We would define that as adultery. Any sex outside of the marriage relationship is sexual immorality. There's no messing around with another person's wife or another person's husband or being faithless to your own spouse.

That is adultery. There is also to be no same-sex sex. We call that homosexuality. I like that term, same-sex sex, because it really defines it. It takes away the pretty of the word homosexuality, and it gives the truth of what we are seeing.

It is same-sex sex. Homosexuality is clearly defined in Scripture as sinful sex. Let me read to you 1 Timothy 1 verses 8 -11. Once again, I'm going to read from the NASB. But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that the law is not made for the righteous person, but those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane.

Now, you notice that he has just defined who the law is for, the kind of people that the law is for. And now he's going to describe the actions of those lawless people. Look what he says. For those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals, and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching or sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted, Paul says.

Now, homosexuality was included in that lawlessness. And we are, as God's children, not to participate in same-sex sex. He says to mortify those deeds, sex outside of marriage, fornication before marriage, and outside of the marriage relationship, and sex with those of the same sex.

We are to kill those deeds of the flesh. We are to stay away from those. It would also include any other illicit or immoral sex, such as pedophilia, bestiality, prostitution, orgies, etc., etc. Anything that is outside of the confines of what God has defined as moral, godly, sexual relationship.

We are to kill, to mortify, to put a separation between us. Do you understand now when he says, put to death? We are to put a separation between us and these things. We are to put them to death. Look at the second thing he says, uncleanness or impurity.

This is a more broader term than pornoneia. It can include other things besides just sexual sins. It includes with it the thoughts of the mind as well as the actions of the body. Ephesians chapter 4, turn to Ephesians chapter 4, verses 17 -20.

This I say therefore and testify in the Lord, verse 17,. This I say therefore and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their minds, having their understanding darkened, becoming alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart, who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness and to all uncleanness or impurity with greediness.

You see, I would love to have the time to walk through this. I'm not going to do it. Who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness. They have given themselves over to work all uncleanness with greediness.

There's so much motivation behind those things. But, look at verse 20,. But you have not so learned Christ. You have not learned Christ this way. Impurity. It begins with the lust of the heart. Romans chapter 1, verse 21 -25,.

For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of an immortal God for the images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore, God gave them up in the lust of their hearts to impurity, to uncleanness, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves. Because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than a creator who is blessed forever and ever.

We, as God's children, are to put to death, put a separation between us and those things that are impure and unclean. And it begins in the lust of the heart. Impurity can happen in the mind. It begins in the mind and it begins to act out in the body.

The third one is passion. A passion here is a drive or a force that doesn't rest until it's satisfied. I have a passion. Now, we can have a passion that is a good passion. I want to have a passion for God, don't you?

I want to have a holy passion for God. And if I understand that, a drive or a force that doesn't rest until it's satisfied, I am never going to be satisfied until I cross over. I want more and more. But this is about an inward emotion that is aroused over an external object.

And then we become slaves to our passions. Now, within its context, we are again speaking of sexual passion. Men and women, we always say... Well, men, let me speak to the men. We always say, well, you know, it's just the way I'm made.

We say, well, I'm driven by the big T, testosterone. But this passion is to be put to death so that you are not driven to cause harm. I can't tell you how many times that I've been in a situation... I'm speaking to men right now.

How many times I've been in a situation where I've been speaking with a husband and a wife about their relationship. And there has come a coldness in the relationship. And the coldness comes because the husband is always driven by that passion.

And it has to be satisfied. He's always driven by that. And that's just the way I'm made. It's just the way I'm made. And it ends up hurting and causing a disrespect and a closing of the spirit of the wife.

And we have to be careful that we are not keeping that alive. That we can't offer that excuse anymore. It's just the way I'm made. Husbands, we must live in honor to our wives. And dwelling with them with understanding.

Number four. I'm hurrying. I'm so sorry. I'm not sorry. It is the word of God. Evil desire. Strong desires. Impulses. Longings. Cravings that are directed towards that which is evil. Again, there is nothing wrong with desires.

But when they are evil desires, we are directed towards those things which are evil and wicked. It is a wicked passion towards something that is evil. Evil desires become a dominant force in your life.

When you are ruled by passion and evil desires. And once again, the context speaks of evil sexual desires. Number five. Covetousness. Covetous says, when we are covetous, it says that I need more. I have to have more.

I have to have that which I do not have. I want more. And I want more. And I want more. I may have more, but I have this need inside to possess more. In other words, my desires are never completely satisfied.

And when we begin to covet in this way, to covet a man or a woman. When we begin to covet in this way, covet anything. The Bible, look what it says in verse 5. At the end of verse 5. Which is idolatry.

Covetousness is idolatry. That simply means that there is something that you are wanting more than you are wanting God. That thing, that person that you are desiring has become greater to you in necessity than God has become.

You are desiring something apart from God more than you desire God. It is taking the place of God. God is no longer enough. We covet what we do not have because we are not satisfied with what we have.

We are not satisfied with God and therefore we covet other things. We are not satisfied with our husband, therefore we covet another man. We are not satisfied with our wife, therefore we covet another woman.

We are not satisfied with being single, therefore we covet being with a woman or a man. James says that when we covet like that, it causes fighting and wars among us. The results again are seen in that verse that we read in Romans chapter 1.

Now, look and see. Again, I am trying to hurry. Look at what it says in verse 6. Because of these things, the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. The wrath of God is coming. This is written in such a way that this is a guarantee.

It will happen. It is not something that somehow, someway we are going to avoid outside of Christ. This is going to happen. The sons of disobedience. John chapter 3 verse 36 says, He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides with him or on him.

The wrath of God is coming on those who live in such a way. Who live according to the earthly nature. The sensual nature. They are, as God and Jesus said, they are the children of the devil. And therefore, because they are a child of the devil, they will experience the wrath of God.

The wrath of God will come on those who practice these kinds of things in their life. Now look what he says in verse 7. In which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. There is a separation for me and for you.

And this is what we have been calling you to. This is what we have been calling on us to understand and then pursue. And that is a different kind of life. A different kind of lifestyle. Because that is who I used to be.

I am no longer that person. That person has died. That is no longer me. I am now free from that person. And therefore, he says, You used to walk in these things and you used to live in them. Do not live in them any longer.

The reverse of that is, you used to live in it, therefore do not live in them. Do you see this? How important it is. It is all about position. Do not live in the sin because your position is in Christ.

Remember the illustration? I am hid in Christ. I have died and my life is hid in Christ. It is all about the position. The old position is the old man. The one that is ruled by the old nature. And the new position is the new man or the new person that is ruled by Christ.

And the Holy Spirit who lives within. It is all about position. And he says, therefore, do not walk in those things. Kill those things that you used to walk in. We have to put separation between them.

How much separation do you put between yourself and the things that we have just talked about? I know that when we talk about, to me, these are plain and simple things. And when we talk about these, there can be a piercing of the Holy Spirit.

And I hope he has done so. I hope that he has done a work in you. To say that I need to put separation between me and this life. Now, I said last week I was going to give you some practical things. I don't have time.

I am going to give you practical things after Logan gets done preaching. If you will hang on, I will give you some practical things. And then we are going to talk about the other five things. Some of those we have already talked about.

Do you see why we need to be different? Why we have called to be different, to be holy. It is not optional. A pursuit of holiness. A pursuit of God. Ought to be the drive and motivation of our lives while we are here.

Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word. It is beautiful and challenging all at the same time. Thank you for the challenge of the Holy Spirit. Lord, I pray that most of these things are not part of our lives.

Because we have become followers of Christ. And they shouldn't be. If we are following and pursuing you, most of all of these things should not be a part of our lives. I pray that you would help us. God, if they are, I pray that you would help us to be overcomers.

Help us, Lord, to put separation, to put to death the actions of this sensual nature. Lord, I pray that we would live apart and separate. That we would no longer walk in the things that we used to be in.

Make us separate. God, I pray for that one who is feeling the guilt and shame. I pray that they would know the power of the cross that relieves that shame. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

I pray that they would not walk out of here condemned. But they would walk out of here refreshed knowing that there is a power available. I pray that you would help us.