Let’s Talk About Heaven: Keep Your Mind on Things Above

You're listening to A New Beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God.

Visit our website and learn more about Harvest Partners at harvest.org. Pastor Greg Laurie points out the bondage we experience when we fix our eyes on the lures of this world rather than on the glory of the next. Imagine sitting down for a fine meal. It may be the finest meal you've ever experienced.

The service is first class. The chef is world renowned. His culinary creations will leave you speechless. But you can't get your eyes off the shiny silverware. You ignore the food and gaze upon the utensil.

Behold the spoon! Ridiculous. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out the folly of being so enamored with the world we miss eternity. I remember as a little boy, to me Disneyland was like heaven on earth. I don't feel that way anymore, but I did a long time ago.

And I think it was due in part to my, you know, horrible upbringing. And I would watch this show on television called The Wonderful World of Disney. And then when Color TV came out, yes I'm that old, they changed it to The Wonderful World of Color. And we were just amazed to watch this on our screen, these programs that Disney would do. But then Walt Disney told us about this park he was building and it was going to be the happiest place on earth. And so when I would visit Disneyland, it was like heaven to me. Because I mean I felt it was just such an incredible place and I was so sad to leave. In fact, you know you're a kid when you go to Disneyland and your favorite part is when you arrive. And you know you're an adult when you go to Disneyland because your favorite time is when you leave. Right?

Is that true? So that's how I used to feel about Disneyland. And I think it's just sort of a glimpse of something much greater that is coming. We long for heaven. And the Bible teaches that when a Christian dies they go immediately to heaven. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So if you have loved ones who have died in faith, they are in heaven right now. So let's talk about heaven and we're going to turn to Colossians chapter 3.

Since then you've been raised with Christ. Set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above. Not unearthly things.

We'll stop there. So we are to set our hearts and we are to set our minds on things above. This phrase set your mind can be translated think or more thoroughly have this inner disposition.

Let me put it another way. The verse is actually saying simply think heaven. Think heaven. That's something we're all supposed to do as Christians. And by the way the verb that's used in this verse is in the present tense so it can be translated keep thinking heaven or keep thinking about heaven or keep seeking heaven.

Put it all together. It's saying constantly be seeking and thinking about heaven. You see our feet must be on earth but our minds and our hearts can be in heaven. Now back in Colossians 3 Paul starts with the word therefore put to death the sinful earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires.

Don't be greedy for a greedy person is an idolater worshipping the things of this world. Because of these sins the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. Now is the time to get rid of rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don't lie to each other for you've stripped off your old sinful nature and all of its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him. Now look. Whenever you read the word therefore in the Bible find out what it is there for.

In other words when a phrase starts with the word therefore he is drawing on what has been previously said. So again what was previously said? Hey set your mind on heaven. Set your heart on heaven. Think a lot about heaven. So with that in mind therefore and now he tells us about three categories of sin that will keep us earthbound. Instead of being heavenly minded we are earthbound.

Number one if you are taking notes. Sexual sin can keep you earthbound. Sexual sin.

Verse five Paul mentions sexual immorality and impurity. The word that he uses is the Greek word porneia. Guess what English word we get from that? How we have normalized the word porn.

Right? We have normalized the word. Oh she is a porn star. Oh yeah looking at porn we make a joke out of it. You watch sitcoms mainstream sitcoms on television and they joke openly and consistently about looking at porn. We have so normalized it and made it sort of acceptable and the Bible warns us against it. Porneia is a root word that just speaks of all kinds of immorality. It is premarital sex in case you don't know what that is. That is having sex with someone you are not married to. Extramarital sex. That is also having sex with someone you are not married to. All kinds of sex outside of God's natural order.

And so when the word porneia is used it is talking about a person that fills their mind with sexual imagery and talks about it constantly and ultimately acts on it. So the Bible is warning you to not do that. Don't fill your mind with those things. Because if you do it is like you have a fire and you are pouring fuel on your fire. It is dangerous.

And it is one day going to get out of control. And what will happen is a person can only take that stuff in for so long and then they want to start acting on those impulses and get into all kinds of trouble. Do I need to actually say it is a really bad idea to sext someone?

Send a sexual image of yourself via text or Snapchat or something else? These are things that are destructive in your life and are not God's plan for your life. And things that can ultimately destroy your life. And that is why the Bible warned you about these things.

Listen. God invented sex. Sex is amazing. Sex can be blessed but in one place. And that is when you are married to a person in a monogamous relationship. The end. Period.

There is no exceptions. It is not like people come up to me and say, well the Lord spoke to us and said, it is cool. No. He didn't say that.

You dreamt that up after you ate too much pizza. God will never contradict His Word. And He says that for your own good.

He says that for your protection. So don't let that dominate your life. Idolatry can keep us earthbound. You won't be heavenly minded if you are worshipping an idol. And He mentions that as well here in Colossians. Don't let idolatry which is greed. An idol is anyone or anything that takes the place of God in your life. And specifically it says to be a greedy person is idolatry.

And by the way there are two root words here. To have and more. So what does it mean to be a greedy person? It is someone that wants to have more.

It is a sin of always wanting more. More. More. More. More. It is never enough.

The Bible says hell and destruction is never full. And so is the heart of a man never satisfied. And it is not just that I want more. But I want what I have. Now I want what you have. I want yours. I don't just want mine.

I want yours too. That is coveting by the way. That is when the Bible says don't covet your neighbor's wife or their possessions. That is coveting something that does not belong to you. And so this is what this is saying. That is idolatry.

And it can preoccupy your mind. Idolatry can keep us earthbound. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.

Hey everybody. Greg Laurie here. You know my uncle Fred Jordan had one of the first Christian TV programs out there. It was called Church in the Home.

I remember watching it as a little boy when I was living with my grandparents. Well we have Church in the Home for you every weekend. It's called Harvest at Home and you can find it at Harvest.org. We have worship and a message from God's word. So join us this weekend for Harvest at Home at Harvest.org. Well today on A New Beginning, we're considering those things that distract us from keeping our eyes on our eternal reward.

Pastor Greg continues his message, Let's Talk About Heaven. One of the most requested studies of the year. And then thirdly, Rage, slander, and dirty language keep us earthbound. Verse 8, Rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. By the way the word rage here speaks of a settled and habitual anger with a thought of revenge. This is the person who has the bumper sticker on their car. I don't get mad, I get even. Don't cut that person off. Just give them wide berth right on the road. And they have gun racks in the back of their car.

Smith and Wesson bumper stickers. You don't want to mess with that person. Because there are people out there that are just waiting to get angry about something. Malicious behavior speaks of a boiling agitation of your feelings.

A sudden and violent anger. Don't be that person. Slander speaks of speaking ill of others.

Man people slander so much. Especially online. Because you can do it anonymously.

Right? You don't have to face the person. You can take on a different name and say complete lies about a person. And destroy a person's reputation. Spread gossip about a person. Even the word gossip kisses like a snake. Have you ever noticed that? Gossip.

And there's something very appealing about it. I just heard something. And I don't know if it's true. But I just wanted to share it with you so you can pray.

So you can pray. Wait, you just heard something. You don't know if it's true. And you're going to share it? About someone? You know it's going to be critical or demeaning or degrading. So why would I share something about someone that I don't know is true that could hurt that person? And what if that person is standing over there right now?

Here's a thought. Walk over to them and say I heard the craziest thing. I know it's not true.

And they can tell you the truth. But see we'll embrace these things and internalize these things and even worse spread these things. Don't let that happen to you. These are not the things a Christian should be doing. Especially a heavenly minded one.

Listen. If you've put your faith in Christ you're a child of God. You are a citizen of heaven.

And it's time to start living like what? A child of God. And we're not known for slander. We're known for love. We're not known for condemnation.

We're known for forgiveness and restoration. That's who you want to be. You want to be that guy. That girl that people go to and say, you know you're always fair minded about these things. You're always compassionate. You're always caring.

Don't be known as that mean spirited judgmental harsh person. But be a heavenly minded person. And when we begin like never before to think about and seek heaven.

Because you know what the great thing is? Is when you're focused on heaven you'll live the most fulfilling life on earth. To quote C.S.

Lewis one last time. He said, aim at heaven and you get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you will get neither. End quote.

That's true. Aim at heaven and you get earth thrown in. So the idea is I'm so focused on heaven that I'm living the fullest life on earth. But some people I don't want to think about the afterlife.

I want to just get the most out of this life. And you end up not living a full life in this earth. And then you end up not being prepared for the afterlife. So how can you know for sure that you'll get to heaven? Some people would say well live a good life. Okay that's not true.

But let's just say it is true for the sake of a point. Live a good life. How good? Well as good as I choose to live. Oh I see. So you're making the rules.

Well of course I am. Well that's not the way it works. Because even if you were to live a good life. And granted some people live better lives than others.

I'll admit. It's still not good enough to get you to heaven because one sins enough to keep you out. The Bible says if you have been in one part of the law you're guilty of all of it. So if you have ever sinned at any time in your life that's enough sin to keep you out of heaven. Well that's pretty harsh.

Yeah that is. That's why there's only one way to get to heaven. And it's through Jesus who died on the cross for our sin. And paid the price for our sin. And rose again. And now he offers us this gift of eternal life. Years ago I was given I think. I can't remember.

Three or four tickets to Disneyland. And so we went into the park. It was very nice. Because it's very expensive. What is it like. Five thousand dollars a ticket.

Now I'm not sure. It's really a lot. And that's just one park.

Not both sides right. And so I had these tickets. We got in.

We're starting to have a good time. And I felt guilty because one of the people didn't show up. And I had a free ticket to Disneyland. And I thought I can't walk around with a free ticket to Disneyland.

What if there's somebody outside that would love to come in and they can't afford it. And I can give them this ticket. And I said to my wife. I'll be back in like literally four minutes.

How long is it going to take me to get rid of a free ticket to Disneyland. I came back like 30 minutes later. She said what happened to you. I said I couldn't get anyone to take it. Because I walked up to strangers. Hi would you like a free ticket to Disneyland.

And they started like backing away. What is this. Is this a cult.

No it's. Free ticket. You want it. No I don't want it.

Okay. Hey would you like a free ticket to Disneyland. What's the catch.

There's no catch here. Here I want to give it to you. I just have an extra. The pertinent.

No one would take it. I've only had to assault a person. No I didn't. But I finally found someone that said. Oh thanks. Well you're welcome. And I just lost a half an hour of my time in Disneyland. And that's how it is when we offer this gift.

You can go to heaven by believing in Jesus. No it's good works. No it's not good works.

It's his work on the cross. Now you just accept it. What's the catch. Well I don't know what the catch is. I'm just telling you it's a gift.

You can never afford it. So why don't you just take it. The gift of eternal life. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. And then you can know you go to heaven. So look. Do you know right now that if you died you would go to heaven?

If you don't, don't you want to get that resolved? Why would you want to go on for another minute without being sure you're prepared for the afterlife? So we're gonna pray in a moment. I'm gonna extend an invitation in closing for you to ask Christ to come into your life and forgive you of all of your sins so you can know you go to heaven when you die. If you don't know this for sure respond to this invitation because 2,000 years ago God sent his son Jesus Christ to die on the cross on our place and to pay the price for all the wrongs we've done, all the sins we've committed and three days later he rose again from the dead. And here he is now alive with us in this place standing at the door of your life and knocking and he says if you'll hear my voice and open the door I will come in.

If you've never asked him to come in to your life, do it now. Let's all bow our heads. Father thank you now for your word to us. Thank you for sending Jesus.

Lord Jesus thank you for coming and laying your life down for us. Now we pray for any here that do not yet know you. Help them to come to you.

Help them to believe in you. Help them to receive the hope of heaven we would ask. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Pastor Greg Laurie with an important prayer. And if you'd like to make a change today in your relationship with the Lord, Pastor Greg will help you do that in just a moment before today's edition of A New Beginning concludes. And then it's a real joy to have our good friend Pastor Levi Lusko with us.

He's lead pastor of Fresh Life Church in Montana, Utah, Oregon, and Wyoming. And he's written the new book that we're making available, a colorful children's devotional resource called Roar Like a Lion. Levi, what are you hearing from parents about the book? What has this resource done for kids and their folks?

Well, it's been so surprising, Dave. You know, I knew that kids were going to like it because we had focus grouped it with our own kids. All my kids, when I would write one, would read it, tell me what they didn't like about it. Then when our illustrator, Catherine Pearson, would send us the rough sketches of the drawings, she lives in Switzerland, so she would email them. My kids would say, I don't like that, or that bear's not fat enough, or you know, whatever.

And we would make the tweaks. So we already knew that we had something good on our hands. But what I was surprised by was the fact that I would hear back from adults who were blessed by it, too. Matter of fact, one pastor who I sent it to in Australia wrote me back and said, I don't even have kids in the house anymore.

My grandkids aren't around. But I've enjoyed reading this myself. And that was a great laugh because, you know, God's word is God's word. And of course, a kid's devotional should encourage us because it's based on God's word, which will encourage all of us.

And Jesus said, we all have to have faith like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven. I also have heard a lot from homeschooled moms and homeschooled dads who have said that this has been a really indispensable part of their homeschooled curriculum because it has history and Bible. So they'll do maybe a little bit of this lesson. Then they'll do a deep dive on the Wright brothers and the fact that they flipped a coin to figure out who was going to fly first at Kitty Hawk or the Cory 10 Boom section. And then they'll learn more about that historical person. And then they'll do a deeper dive on the scriptures and that they've said it's basically functioning as Bible and history class.

Great. So Roar Like a Lion, this new book by Levi Lasko, deals with topics like having courage to try something new even when others are watching, facing fears about school and friendships, handling new challenges and past disappointments, dealing with peer pressure and bullying, and finally understanding how we each fit into God's great story. So you can see that Levi's bringing it into the real world of what your kids are facing right now so you can equip them, prepare them, help them, encourage them, and more. So order your copy of this brand new book by Levi Lasko titled Roar Like a Lion, 90 Devotions to a Courageous Faith. Yes, the perfect time for a new devotional resource at the start of a new year.

And what better way to have quality time with your kids or grandkids? We'll send it to you to say thank you for your investment in this ministry and the lives that'll be touched in the coming year. And doesn't our culture need a touch from the Lord right about now? So thank you for your investment today. And we'll say thanks tangibly with a copy of the brand new book called Roar Like a Lion. You can donate securely online at harvest.org or write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or call us anytime 24-7 at 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300. And then Pastor Greg, just before we go, would you mind praying with the person listening who wants to make a change today in their relationship with the Lord? I'd be happy to, Dave. You know, as you've been listening to this today, maybe you've heard another voice. By that I mean, yeah, you heard me say a few things, but you heard God's voice speak to you deep in the recesses of your heart. And it suddenly dawned on you, this is what I need. Or to state it more accurately, this is who I need. I need Jesus, and I want Jesus.

But maybe you don't know how to make that connection. Let me help you. Pray this after me right now if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life. Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. And I am sorry for my sin. And I need your forgiveness right now. Would you come into my heart and my life as Savior, as God, as friend?

I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for calling me and accepting me and forgiving me. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. I know that was a relatively short prayer. Maybe you felt something as you prayed it. Maybe you felt nothing.

That doesn't really matter. Because God's word says these things we write to you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. It doesn't say so you may think you have it or you may hope you have it if God's in a good mood.

No, that you can know it. And I want you to know, if you pray that prayer in a minute, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has come into your life. So congratulations, you're now a Christian. Now continue to follow the Lord. And to help you as you follow the Lord, we'd like to send you some resource materials we call our New Believers Growth Packet.

It'll answer many of the questions you might have and get you started off right in your new relationship with the Lord. So get in touch and ask for it. We'll send it to you free of any charge. You can call us any time day or night at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California, 92514. Or go online to harvest.org and click the two words, Know God. Well, next time, as this Best of message continues, we'll focus on the bodies we'll have in the hereafter. How different will they be?

We'll find out next time. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher, Greg Laurie. This is the day, the day when life begins. Hey everybody, thanks for listening to A New Beginning. This is a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners. So for more content that can help you know God and equip you to make Him known to others or to learn more about how you can become a Harvest Partner, just go to harvest.org.