If you'll turn back with me now
to Colossians chapter 3, I want to look at verses 1 through 4. I titled this sermon, A Sermon
to My Wife. And that's who I primarily am
going to preach to this morning, and the rest of you can sit in
on it. The subject of the apostle as
he opens chapter three. Having told us as plainly as
words can make it that the believers are risen with Christ. Raised up. I just can't imagine. Raised up with him. and accepted
in the blood, seated with him in the heavens. And I believe
that this is his subject, things above. Things above. We're not in the grave any longer, but we're with him in glory.
And everything we hope for, everything we desire is up there. It's up there. He tells us in
Colossians 3.1, if you then be risen with Christ, seek those
things which are above where Christ sitteth. If we're raised
with him, then we're seated with him. And all of those things
which were accomplished by him is above. It's in heaven. where Christ sitteth at the right
hand of God. He tells us again, set your affection. You don't just look to those
things which are above, but here he says, set your affection,
set your whole heart and soul on things above, not on things
on the earth. What things? What things? Seek those things
which are above. What things? What's he talking
about? What exactly is it that the believer
is here exhorted to seek that's in heaven? Well, it's not so much talking
about heaven itself, although believers shall one day go there
and dwell there, but rather those things which have been purchased,
which have been ordained, which have been accomplished by our
Lord Jesus Christ who now sits at the right hand of God. Now
Peter, he also talked about these things. In 1 Peter 1.3 he said,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a
lively hope, now listen to this, by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and
that fadeth not away Now watch this, reserved in heaven for
you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation
ready to be revealed at the last day. Now the Bible has a lot
to say about these things above. Everything that shall accompany
the believer through eternity, everything that's needful and
necessary for his eternal security, His happiness, hope, and rest
is reserved in heaven for him, fully accomplished, put in a place where it cannot
be corrupted, sealed in one who cannot be corrupted, made sure
by the surety himself. And these things are wonderful
things, they're majestic things, they're spiritual things, and
eternal things, and they'll never, never, Peter said, fade away. Boy, everything here does, don't
it? So fast you can't hardly believe it. One day you're strong
and youthful and run up mountains. Next day you can't walk around
the block. He said, man is like the grass. All flesh is grass. And the glory,
his glory is like the flower of the grass. Comes out and blooms
for a day or two, then it dries up and the wind blows it away.
That's man. There's coming a time when those
things that we just thought we couldn't live without, I just
can't live without. I've got to have it. I've got
to have it. There's coming a day when those things that we thought
we couldn't live without and worked so hard to obtain are
going to lose their sparkle. Not going to mean much anymore.
They lose their luster. They seem almost worthless in
our eyes. Those things we worked so hard
to buy will appear in that day just a place to lay your head. Colossians chapter 3 verse 3,
For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Everything
concerning that first Adam is condemned of God, including these
vile bodies, and must go back to the dust from which they were
taken. The only things that's going to survive the judgment
of God are things which have been put in Christ and preserved
in Him unto eternal glory. So what are these things? Let me give you just as many
as time will allow me this morning. First of all, I have in heaven,
and I'm told to look there at this, and I'm told to set my
affection on this. I have in heaven a loving, eternal,
and unchangeable Father. He's a father like no other. He made preparation for me before
the foundation of the world. He loved me before he created
me. He knew everything concerning
me. He knew I was going to fall in
Adam. He knew I was going to come forth
from the womb speaking lies. He knew all those things and
he made preparation for it. What did he spare when he made
preparation? Nothing. We're full of doubt. We are. Might as well admit it. You're
full of doubts. If you wasn't, you'd walk a perfect
life. But we're full of doubt. But
the next time you doubt God, you remember this. He spared
not his own son. He's a father like no other. And if I understand the story
of the prodigal right, the father knew what the son would do when
he gave him a portion of his inheritance. He knew what he
was going to do with it. By the time my third child come
along, I knew what he was going to do with it. But I didn't give
it all to him. I just gave him a portion. And he went out and spent it. How'd he spend it? Riotous living. Wasted it. But the father knew he was coming
home. He'd made preparation for him. Had the calf already pinned
up, being fattened. Had the ring in the box all ready
to go. Had the robe pressed and washed
and hanging there ready for him. And the father looked for him. He waited for him. And the father saw him a bar
up. Well, he's the father, so he
just sat there. Not what scripture said. Scripture said he ran. God our Father is the source
and the wellspring of every blessing in time and eternity. Listen to this. Every good gift, this is in James
chapter 1, every good gift and every perfect
gift is from above. They don't rise up from the earth,
they don't come from within, and they're not born in chance
and circumstance. They're from above. Now listen. And cometh down from
the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness. Neither shadow
of turning. Oh, but you say, the father must
have turned when the prodigal son was down in the old pen.
Didn't faze him a bit. Oh, the father must have, he
must have just shivered at the sight of this and that. No. He
knew what he was going to do. They knew it had to be done. Listen to this, our Lord said
of his coming into this world, I came down from heaven, not
to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this
is the Father's will, which has sent me. That of all which he
has given me, I'm not gonna lose any of it. What did the Father give him? Gave him his elect. Huh? Gave him his approval. He gave
him all things. All things our Lord said are
given unto me. They're given into my hands.
Everything I have. Given to me of God. I came down from heaven, not
to do my own will, but the will of my Father. And this is the
will of Him that sent me, that everyone would seeth the Son,
and believeth on Him may have everlasting life, and I'll raise
Him up at the last day." And then those unbelieving Jews,
they looked at that, they listened to that, and here He is talking
about He's the bread come down from heaven, He's all these things.
God had given Him all things into His hand, and they murmured
murmured, murmured, murmured at him. And our Lord said, murmur not. Now listen to this. No man can
come to me except the Father draw him. You didn't know that,
did you? You didn't know what brought
you to Christ. It's the predestinating grace
of God, the Father, who loved you and draws you to his Son. In spite of your incessant sin,
he calls you by his grace. Believers, he said, are predestinated
under the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according
to the good pleasure of the Father's will, who chose you and put you
in Christ. Believers are taught to pray,
our Father. Huh? Our Father, which art in
heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom, whose kingdom is
it? The Father's. Thy will be done. And we're taught to end our prayers
this way. Nevertheless, not our will, but
thy will be done. And because we're his sons, he
sent forth the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying Abba
Father. We would never have cried that.
We had never looked to him as our father. We'd never prayed
to him as our father, except the spirit of God come into your
heart. Then you look, this is my father,
my heavenly father. Well, what's that got to do with
anything? Well, let me tell you a few things. The father has
numbered every hair on your head. And that old sparrow flying around
out there, Not one of them can fall to the ground without your
father. Now he said, you think God said that because he cares
for ravens and sparrows? No. He said it all together for
your sakes. All together. You have a love
in heaven, not here in heaven. You have a loving, eternal, merciful,
gracious, unchangeable father. Everything the believer has has
been given to him, purchased for him, accepted in him, all
of these things. Now, here's the second thing. What else? I've got this loving
Father in glory. What else do I have? I have God our Savior. Where's he at? He's seated next
to the Father. You know what he gets? Everything
he asked for. Everything he asked for. You want to know what he asked
for, read John 17. You reckon he got what he asked
for? You better believe it. Everything the believer has,
everything he's been given, everything's been purchased for him, accepted
in him, guaranteed in God our Savior. The very glory of God's
manifested in him, revealed through his glorious person and work
and made sure by his presence and glory. The Father loveth
the Son and hath trusted all things into his hands. It's by
the Son that the world was created and by the Son that it was preserved
after the fall and after the flood. It's by the son that God's
justice was satisfied. By the son that his righteousness
was established. He's the end of the law for righteousness,
everyone to believe in. And what of the gospel? Well,
Paul said, through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness
of sin. There's no forgiveness of sin
apart from Christ. People who deny that particular
redemption of Christ, there's no salvation for them. There's
no salvation apart from Christ. Christ is all in the salvation
of sinners, and we're complete in Him, in whom dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead body, and it's His death, burial, and resurrection
that we confess in baptism. And unto them that look for Him
shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation. What
am I to set my whole heart, soul, and mind on in glory is God our
Savior and a loving Father. A loving Father. Thirdly, what
else have I got to look up there to? All these things are up there
above. What else do I have to look for? The eternal presence
of the Holy Ghost. His presence is here in the believer. He's taken up his abode in the
believer. Every so often, he lets you know
it. He lets you experience it. Oh, what will it be like in glory
when those things are unhindered, when those things are continual?
I can't imagine. I just can't imagine. Believers worship God in spirit
and truth. They're built together for a
habitation of God through the spirit. And whatever fruit is
produced in the believer is called the fruit of the spirit. They're
led by the spirit. As many as are led by the spirit,
these are the sons of God. And the Holy Spirit makes intercession
for us because we don't know what to pray for. But the Holy
Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered. You ever get so confused that
sometimes you just groan, you don't know what to say? That's
the Holy Spirit. That's the Holy Spirit. Groanings, they can't be uttered,
you don't know what to... I don't even know what to say
sometimes. But I don't need to say anything. This is God communicating to
God for me. Think about that. He's the Spirit of our adoption. It's the presence of the Holy
Spirit in us that causes us to have a conflict with this flesh.
The flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh.
He reveals the deep mysteries of God to us. The princes of
this world didn't know it, or they wouldn't have crucified
the Lord of Glory. But God hath revealed these things unto us
by His Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God. Oh, to be in the eternal, unbroken,
undisturbed presence of the triune God, and that forever. What else is up there? This is almost unthinkable to
me. There's a place prepared for
me. Who's up there? Moses? Isaiah, Adam, Methuselah, Noah. Boy, there's some prominent people
up there. Paul, Peter. There's a place for me. Huh? Let that go home. There's a play. Oh, I hope God
will accept me. Christ said this. He said, let
not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, you believe
also in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions. Now, let me just stop there for
a minute. What does God have any need for
a mansion? He built it for the angels. What
these mansions all about? I'll be honest with you, I don't
really know. But I'll tell you what I think it means. I think
it means God has already prepared my place in heaven. That's what I believe. Can you
even imagine? Your place in glory is already
prepared. Who prepared it? Christ did.
Mansions were already there. She said, I go and prepare a
place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I'm
coming again. And I'll receive you unto myself
that where I am, there you may be also. You take comfort in
that? Oh, my soul. I remember old Barnard
talking about he dreamed he died and went to heaven. And he said,
when I got there, he said, I heard the music like I had never heard
in my life. It was perfect harmony. He said there wasn't a voice
out of tune. Everybody was singing harmonious
praises unto God. And he said, oh, he said, I wanted
to sing so bad in that group. And he said, I looked and every
chair was full. And he said, I looked, and I
looked, and then finally, he said, I climbed up, and I kept
looking, and way over there was an empty seat. And he said, as
much as I could do without disturbing anybody, he said, I pushed my
way over there. And when I got to the seat, it
said, Roth Barnard. Prepared for him before the world. If you're a believer, then Christ
has prepared a place for you. And whatever that place is, it's
equal to a mansion. I don't know if it's an actual
structure or not. I've never been to glory. I couldn't
tell you any of those things. But there's a place. Believers are sons of God and
join heirs with Christ. In one place, Paul told the Corinthians,
he said, know you not that all things are yours? These preachers,
he said, these apostles like me, we're all yours. Paulus is
yours, Paul's yours, the world is yours. You're heirs of Christ,
you're doing heirs with him, heirs of God. And to have a place prepared
for you is an honor that I don't think we can ever fully grasp
here. Can you even imagine the Heavenly
Father? Here's the angels with their
wings folded and their eyes covered. Can you imagine the whole...
I'm talking about our Eternal Father welcoming you into His
house. Huh? That's what it says he's going
to do. So whatever our dwelling place
is in heaven, it's compared here to a mansion to help us understand
it. And these mansions are already
there. They were prepared for us before the world began. John
said, I saw a great white throne. And I saw him that sat on it,
whose face the earth and heaven fled away, and there was found
no place for them. Found no place for them, but
he prepared a place for you and for you. To the unbelieving workmongers
who were even at the judgment still pleading their good works,
our Lord said, depart from me, you workers of iniquity. I never
knew you. But he knows his sheep. He knows
his sheep. Their names are written on his
shoulders and in his heart. Their names are known and mentioned
in glory. Well, what else are we to set
our minds and hearts on in glory? I like this one. A glorified
state of being. John said, it does not yet appear
what we shall be. But he said, I know this. When
we see him, we'll be just like him. A glorified state of being. No pain, no aging, no hurting,
no laboring. The heat of the sun not going
to fall on you. He's the light of glory. Listen to this. Behold, Paul
said, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we're
all gonna be changed. Gonna be changed. In a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump, for the trumpet
shall sound and the dead in Christ shall be raised incorruptible.
And we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put
on incorruption. and this mortal must put on immortality. So, when this corruptible shall
have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass that saying, death is
swallowed up in victory. John said we know we'll be like
him. What else is reserved in heaven
for the believer? A perfect understanding. Boy,
I tell you, I look at some of these things in the scriptures
and I get so tickled when God gives me an understanding of
something. I just can't hardly wait to get up here and preach
it to you. He'll give me an understanding
of a verse or of the teaching of a chapter or something. I
can't even describe what I feel in my study. And sometimes I
tell you that, that I hope the message will be a blessing to
you. I've done got mine. I just hope
he'll give it to you. But a perfect understanding,
all of the what's and why's and when's are gonna be perfectly
clear. Perfectly clear. Listen to this. First Corinthians 13.9. For we
know in part, and we prophesy in part. I know some, I'm not
ignorant of everything in the scripture. I know in part, I
know things. But I don't know it all. And
when I preach, I can't preach it all, because I don't know
it all. So that's what he's talking about here. We know in part,
we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect
is come, did you know it was coming? Absolute, total perfection. Huh? Oh, my soul. When that which is perfect is
come, that which is in part shall be done away. For now we see through a glass
darkly. This is the glass. We look in
through the Word of God and we see things. We see through a
glass darkly, but then we're going to see face to face. Now
I know in part, but then shall I know. Now watch this, even
as I am known. Oh my soul. You know, we come
in here sometimes, not everyone, but most of you come in here
and I'll preach a sermon and hopefully the spirit of God will
raise your hearts up and you're able to worship God for just
a little bit. We worship him by understanding. The Spirit of God gives us understanding
of the Gospel and we in turn praise Him and worship Him and
thank Him. But then we're going to see,
we're going to know even as we are known how much more shall
we be inspired to worship when we know things in a perfect body,
in a perfect mind. What hinders our walk and worship
now is ignorance and sin. and neither of these are going
to follow us into glory. And here's something else. When David's son died, oh how he mourned before that
boy died. He mourned and cried and wept
and asked God to heal it. Didn't happen. The boy died. The boy died. And when he did,
David went in, washed his face, put on clean clothes. He came
out, went about his life. And people wondered at what he
did. And here's what David told them. He said, I can't go and bring
the child back to me. That's an impossibility. That's
not going to happen. But he said, it's died now. And
he said, I can go and be where it is. I don't clearly understand the
oneness of the great congregation, but I know that earthly relationships
will be dissolved. They're not going to be married
and given in marriage in glory. Not going to happen. Well, will
I know my wife in glory? Absolutely. She just won't be
your wife anymore. you'll all be one in Christ.
And you'll understand perfectly. He's going to give you a perfect
understanding. So you'll understand what those relationships were
all about in this world. Well, I know my father's my father.
Well, sure. Peter, James, and John went up
on the Mount of Transfiguration. These men were thousands of years
before them. And here's Elijah and Moses. And they're talking with Christ
about his exodus, his decease. And they said, that's Moses and
that's Elijah. How'd they know that? They didn't
have any pictures of Moses and Elijah. How'd they know that's
who it was? Let me tell you something. I don't know Moses and Elijah
either, but I will in glory. I recognize them. I know who
they are. I know who Peter is. I've got two granddaughters that
I've never seen. They were lost in a miscarriage. I fully expect to see them in
glory. Sure do. There's nothing on this earth
to even begin to compare with what awaits us in glory. Paul
said if I had my way right now, I'd go and be with the Lord.
But he said, it's needful for you for me to stay. Abraham, the scripture said,
sojourned in this earth. He sojourned. He never built
a house. He was a wealthy man. He never
built a house. He never bought a strip of ground
to build on. He sojourned. He lived in tents.
He raised his family in tents. They moved from place to place.
Never stopped to build a permanent dwelling. Why? because he sought
for a city that had foundations whose builder and maker was God.
He realized that this was just temporary and that was permanent. This is just for a little while,
that's forever. So don't set your heart, your
mind, and your soul on things here or you're going to be greatly
disappointed. Set your mind on things above. and you won't be disappointed,
you'll be happy. Everybody else got their head
down and they're weeping and crying and mourning for you.
You say, what are you mourning about? I'm fixing to go have what you've
never dreamed of. I'm fixing to have what my heart
has longed for for all these years. I'm going to be with Him. I'm going to stand before my
Heavenly Father He's going to welcome me into his house, and
I'm going to dwell there forever. And I'm not going to have any
sin. I ain't going to think about
sin. I'm not going to have any lust to rush in upon my mind. I'm not going to have an evil
thought. I'm going to be without the presence of sin and not even
a shadow of a chance that I might fall. Huh? You still want to
stay here? Oh, Paul said, I want to go there.
I want to be with him. I want this is what I want. This
down here temporary. I'll do what God commanded me
to do. I'll do it as long as God allows me to do it. But my
heart's up there. Now I'm telling you, set your
affection on things above. Look to things above where Christ
sitteth on the right hand of God. You know, I hear people
talking all the time about, well, old grandpa liked to fish, and
I kind of picture him up in glory with a fishing pole. Well, if
your grandpa's in glory, he ain't fishing. I like to fish, too,
but I don't have no visions. Peter and them were fishermen.
I don't have any vision of them in a sailboat with a net, do
you? No, they're standing there in those white garments, worshiping
God. I hear people in funeral homes,
they're talking about old grandma up there cooking, cooking for
the disciples, doing all sorts of earthly activities. Some of them up there looking
down. Some of them up there coming down to say things and talk to
their children and all this kind of nonsense. I'm going to tell
you something. Heaven is not the continuation
of this world. It's the eradication of it. There is no world up there. And
what's left of the world down here is going to burn into cinders. John said, Love not the world,
neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the
world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that's
in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes
and the pride of light is not of the Father, but of the world.
Now listen, and the world passeth away. And the lust thereof, but he
that doeth the will of God abideth forever. Well preacher, ain't
that talking about man's work? No. Well, how can any man ever
do the will of God? I'm going to tell you. This is
the will of the Father. You want to do the will of the
Father? Believe on the Son. The guy who does, the lady who does,
the boy or girl who does, believe on the Son. He's done the will
of the Father. He done what the Father willed
him to do. And he done it according to the
will of the Father. And the Father's power enabled
him to. And he never gonna perish.