Listen, this message may not do a thing for you the way it has for me, but it's blessed me this morning. Just to be in fellowship with God today has been such a good morning for me. And so I hope you can feel a portion of as good as what I feel this morning. So if you've got your Bibles, you want to go to Colossians chapter three. It won't be unfamiliar scripture to you. It's scriptures that I've preached on many times, but just was on my heart again this morning. I'll ask you a question to start with this morning. How often do you think about the life to come? How often do you find yourself thinking about eternity? I mean, honestly, if you stop to reflect on what your eternity will be like, how often do you spend time thinking that over? What happens after this? temporary life is over and what Scripture promises to us. I think there's so much joy to be had in thinking about those things. And I hope I can set the tone for the rest of the message by saying this, but I think many of us are missing out on a great source of joy by not being diligent to keep an eternal perspective. I know it happens to me and it probably happens to you at times. We get distracted, right, by things. I've heard over the years people say that you can be so heavenly minded that you're of no earthly good. I don't agree with that. I think that you can be so earthly minded that you're no heavenly good. But I don't think you can be too heavenly minded. I actually believe that we would be much more effective and much more diligent about missions, about ministry, about evangelism, about personal obedience and holiness if we kept an eternal perspective. I think if we actually decided to live for the world to come and if we set our mind and our hearts there, then we would find so much more motivation to accomplish what God expects from us here. Remember that the Lord told us that where our treasure is, that's where our heart's gonna be, right? I believe we'd be able to do the things that God asked us to do with twice the joy and the excitement if we would just be eternally minded. And I think the fact that we so rarely consider the world come, it causes our hearts to get dull and it causes the hardships of life that everybody faces. They cause us to be burdened by those things. When in reality, we need to face those hardships, those difficult times, those trials, those sufferings that we might have to go through. We need to face those in light of eternity. So let's see what the scripture says. And then let's dive into the word here for just a minute. In Colossians chapter three, the first four verses, this is what he said. He said, 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, not on the things of the earth. For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Amen. Did you hear it in there? The calling to seek the things that are above, the calling for us to, the commandment for us to set our minds on the things above and not on the things of the earth. That's exactly what we're talking about this morning. But before we get too deep into that, there was a word that stood out to me in those scriptures, and it's the smallest one that I saw in there. It's the first word in Colossians 3, chapter one, if. If. If then you were raised with Christ. That if is a conditional clause. If you were raised, then seek the things above. Then set your mind on things above. And I'm gonna explain that to you. Briefly, listen, for those of you that's been born again, it's just a message you know and have heard, but you just be patient, because I'll get to us in a minute. But to be raised with Christ means to be united with Him in death and resurrection. It means that we have died to sin, it means that we have died to self, that we have died to this world, and that we've been raised to walk in newness of life, amen? To be raised with Christ is the same as, it's just another way of saying, to be born again. In Romans chapter 6 verse 4, this is how Paul described it to them. He said, therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death. That just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Amen? you should realize pretty quickly that this if is very important. There's likely some that are sitting in this church today who might hear this message or maybe hear it down the road that have not been raised with Christ. They've not died to sin. They've not died to self. They've not truly been born again. They've not come out of the world. God hasn't redeemed them. And I want you to know that if you've never trusted in Christ by faith and you've never repented of sin and trusted that His death was enough to buy your pardon, you can today. His death was enough to satisfy the wrath of God that's against your sin. It's enough to redeem you and to wash you and to make you clean. You've not yet been raised with Christ, but you can be. See, in John chapter 3, Jesus told Nicodemus, He said, Most assuredly, I say unto you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Listen, if you have not been born again, you couldn't possibly seek those things which are above. You couldn't possibly set your mind on things above. You see, you're still blinded. The Scripture says in 2 Corinthians chapter 4 that he describes it this way. He says, the minds of the unbelievers, he said, the God, lowercase g speaking of the enemy, of this age has blinded. Who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. You see, we have a blinded eye when we're lost, when we're in unbelief. And only those who have been raised with Christ can see the kingdom of God. There's a scripture in 1 Corinthians chapter 2. I don't think I put it up there, Thomas. I don't know if I did or not. But I'm going to turn to it and read it to you real quickly. 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 14. And this is what it says. It says, the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. Takes the Holy Spirit. The only way to receive the Holy Spirit is to be born again. Amen? That's why he tells us in Colossians If you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above. This is the good news. Even if you're lost, Christ has come that you may be born again. Amen? The Bible declares that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but should have eternal life. He says, for God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. If you're listening this morning and you've not been born again, the scripture declares that today is the day of salvation. Today, if you hear God's voice, harden not your heart. level of conviction in you today, you know, deep down in your heart that you need to be saved from sin and from the wrath of God to come, then today is that day of salvation for you. The good news is, if you feel that, if you even think that, if you think, gosh, I should be saved, then God is imparting to you the gift of faith that you might believe. With that faith, you can trust in Him. Here's what you need to do. Repent of sin. Trust in Christ. It's the only way to be saved. It's by grace alone, through faith alone and Christ alone. There's no other way. You have to trust in Christ's death to save you from your sin. You have to ask God to forgive you, not because of what you've done. Listen, I'm not talking about coming up and saying, God, I'm trying to clean my life up. I'm trying to get things in order. Would you forgive me because of my efforts? You come to the altar and you say, God, would you save me because of what Christ has done for me? Then you can be raised with Christ and your eyes will be opened. And I hope today that maybe somebody will consider the good news of Christ because it is through Christ that you can be saved. And if you do that, the Bible says that we need to confess that. With the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. Amen? And then your life will display the fruits of repentance. That is, you turn from sin and live for God. So if you're here this morning and you don't know the Lord, those are the things you should be considering. But for those that have been raised with Christ, that's who this particular scriptures were written to. He's basically saying, since you've been raised with Christ, look at what it says we're to do. Those of us that have truly been born again, we are to seek those things which are above, where Christ is and where our treasure is, amen? We're to set our minds on the things above, not on the things of the earth. Now let's be honest this morning, many of us are not busy seeking the things above. Amen? Don't get mad. We're not diligently setting our minds on the things above. We live in this world, and I'm a victim of it at times, and you're probably a victim of it at times, but we live in this world that's full of distractions. And they tend to anchor us here sometimes, and they tend to pull our minds away from eternal things, and sometimes, probably the majority of the time, if we're really honest with ourselves, we can look and see that our actions are consumed with creating a more comfortable life here. Our thoughts are focused on what's happening here, right now, in this life, in this earth. We spend the majority of our time thinking and dwelling on those things. But if we will, by the help of the Holy Spirit, if we will shift our thinking and kind of reprioritize what's important, I believe we can enjoy the presence and the fullness of God so much more than what we do today. This is what A.W. Tozer says. He said, when the followers of Jesus Christ lose their interest in heaven, they're no longer happy Christians. And when they're no longer happy Christians, they cannot be a powerful force in a sad and sinful world. It may be said with certainty that Christians who have lost their enthusiasm about the Savior's promise of heaven to come have also stopped being effective in the Christian life and their witness in the world. And I'm afraid many of us, at times, lose our desire for the better country. We're too satisfied with the one that we have here. Amen? Don't forget, even though there's a lot of beauty in this world, don't forget that this is a sinful and a corrupt and a fallen world that we're living in. We need to be constantly aware, maybe I can get this to stick in your head somehow, that it's possible that the devil's strategy is not to make you miserable, but to make you comfortable. Amen? Very possible that if he can get you comfortable, he can do more damage to you than if you're miserable. In Hebrews chapter 11, we could read about the mindset of those who died in faith before us. Let me just read three verses to you there, 13 through 16. He said, these all died in faith, not having received the promises, but seeing them afar off, they were assured of them and they embraced them. That's what we should do. And they confessed, this was their confession, that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Not citizens, but strangers and pilgrims. And he said, for those who say such things declare plainly, they seek a homeland. And truly, if they had called to mind that country from which they had came out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Amen? In their hearts and minds, listen, those who came before us, those that were listed there, and many others who weren't listed there, they were just pilgrims. That's the way they viewed this journey on this earth. Strangers. Through faith, they recognized that this place, this earth, This world, this country was not their home. I don't know that that truth is always sunk into our hearts. Amen? See, they were seeking. And there's that word again. Remember, we read it over there in Colossians. He said, seek the things which are above. And we read it here again and it says they were seeking a homeland. a heavenly country. And because that's what they desired, and because they were willing to seek after it, God was not ashamed to be called their God. Man, I want that testimony this morning. Amen? I want that. And He prepared a place for them, and that was their joy. That was their joy. Listen, I want you to know this morning that Christ has also prepared a place for us. Rodney, you know the scripture in my father's house, there are many mansions, and if it were not so, I would have told you, and I go to prepare a place for you. We also have a home there. And that is the home that we should desire more than anything this world has to offer. Just like them, we must account ourselves to be pilgrims and strangers here. Don't get comfortable here. Listen, if you're comfortable here, it's a sure sign that maybe some things in life aren't where they need to be. And it's not that we can't find any joy here. I'm sure that the saints have all found joy. But our joy is in the Lord. And their joy was knowing that God, even no matter what happened, that God had a place prepared for them. and they were on their way to it. Amen? Every single day. I want you to know you've got a home there. You've got a home there. You didn't earn it, you didn't build it. You've got a home not built with hands. Amen? It's laid out for you. Yeah, you'll have to face death to get there. But yea, though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Amen? Yes, you'll have to face death, but precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Amen? We'd do well if we could Remember, part of being eternally minded is remembering that this world, all of it that you see, is destined to be destroyed. It's all going to burn away. It's all going to go away. Peter says it will melt with the fervent heat. Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Even the heavens, I'm talking, when he says heavens there, he's talking about the universe. As far as everything that we've ever seen or known, it'll be destroyed. Jupiter and galaxies beyond that, gone. The heavens will melt away. The earth will melt away with a fervent heat and all the works that man has done in it will melt away. But listen to what Peter's reminder to us is. In 2 Peter chapter 3, he said, Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth. in which righteousness dwells, amen? God has a new earth and a new heaven that he will create and we'll spend the endless ages of eternity there. I'm not trying to discourage you this morning. I'm trying to encourage you. I'm trying to help you see that there's something far better that is laid up for us over there. A new country, a new heaven, a new earth, a place without sorrow and death, a place without sin and corruption, a place where God will be pleased to dwell with His people. And I'm preaching to you this morning in the hopes that maybe I could free some of us from the bondage and the deception that comes from living in a sin-plagued world. If you just set your mind on the things above, it will set you free so that you can truly be obedient to the Lord. And listen when He says, seek first the Kingdom of God. I'm preaching to you this morning that an eternal mindset will help you to accomplish that. An eternal mindset will help you to be content with such things as you have as the Scripture commands. I'm preaching to you so that you'll know that whatever lot you're in here, you can have great joy as you consider what Christ has in store for you there. You can even suffer outwardly here, but be renewed inwardly day by day. Amen? With an eternal mindset. You see, I thought about the life of the apostles in the early church, the disciples of Christ, how they held to that one truth that anchored them. It made them able to withstand persecution. It made them able to withstand torture. disease, sickness, even death. One truth gave them the hope they needed to endure and to resist the temptations of the flesh, to endure the suffering that comes from living in a sinful world, to endure the persecution that the devil threw at them. There's one simple truth, and it's this. It's that they knew He who raised up the Lord Jesus would raise them up also with Him. And they depended on it. And they believed it with all of their heart. And they trusted in it. And we have to do the same. Trust in a promise of a coming resurrection to a new and eternal life. Listen to how the Apostle Paul describes it in 2 Corinthians 4 verses 8-18. Powerful section of scripture. He said we're hard pressed on every side. Sometimes we are too. But even though we're hard pressed, look at what he says, yet we're not crushed. But why Paul? He said we're perplexed sometimes. but we're not in despair. We're persecuted, but we're not forsaken. We're struck down, but we're not destroyed. We're always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always to deliver to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our moral flesh So then death is working in us, but life in you. And since we have the same spirit of faith according to what is written, I believed and therefore I spoke, we also believe and therefore speak. Amen? Listen to what he says. This is the anchor. Knowing that he who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though the outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. Amen? And day by day, for our life afflictions, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we do not look at things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen, they are eternal. I hope you heard it in there. See, their trust was that God was going to resurrect them, that God had a new life for them, a new country, a new home. And that hope, that belief, that trust, that faith caused them to, no matter what circumstances they faced, no matter what happened to them, caused them not to lose faith and not to lose faith. It allowed them to view even the most difficult of circumstances as nothing but life affliction compared to a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Amen? They stopped looking at what they could see and they started looking at the things that were unseen. They set their mind on things above, not on things of the earth. You see, today's church is confused. It's very confused. They want their blessings now. They want it all right now. As a matter of fact, they want their best life now. Right? A number one selling book years ago and still sells today. They want their best life right now. They want their best health now. They want prosperity now. They want wealth now. They want everything now. The scripture teaches us a different way. And what I'm telling you this morning, brothers and sisters, is this. We may face all kinds of terrible circumstances. And I know that that's not encouraging, but listen. In your life, you may be fine today, and tomorrow you go to the doctor and you're not fine anymore. Amen? Brother Kevin. Brother Terry. And the list goes on and on and on. All of a sudden, you realize after a month or two that, man, it looks like I'm losing a little weight. Maybe I need to go to the doctor and get checked out. And you realize you're eat up with cancer. And you're going to die some painful, horrible death in some way. Or maybe it's not that at all. Maybe for something or some way, you may have to face some other circumstance. Maybe the economy collapses and we all lose our retirements. Maybe all of our jobs go away. Maybe for Christ's sake, because you're a Christian, you might lose your job or your home, or you might be even imprisoned one day. Who knows? Listen, in this life, in this fallen world, one thing's for sure, you're going to suffer the loss of someone you love. One day you'll find yourself on the front pew of a church or a funeral home with a broken heart. You may leave this church and get in your car and get in a terrible accident. You may face a terrible sickness or a disease. And listen, even if you don't get sick and even if none of those things happen, you will get old. Huh? No matter what we face, we can guarantee a couple of things. One, the outward man is perishing. While even while we're sitting here today, even while we're listening today, we are decaying away a little at a time. Heading back to the dust, from the dust that we're created, and from the dust we shall return. Amen? But listen, no matter what comes our way, whether it's old age, whether it's broken bones, whether it's suffering, whether it's grief and heartache, whether it's disease and sickness, no matter what happens to us, we have the same hope the apostles had. We have a promised resurrection and eternal life with Christ. And if we seek that, and we set our minds there, and we do exactly what the scripture's telling us to do here, no amount of suffering can rob us of our joy. Remember what Jesus said about those treasures that we have there? He said thieves can't break through and steal it. Rust can't get over there and corrupt it, and moths can't either, amen? And see, that truth alone, just like it did for those men, I think about the men who you can read about there, the martyrs over time, tied to stakes and burnt and set on fire. bold and I mean just every unimaginable thing that you can think of. I believe it was my mom who was telling me the other day she read a book about one of the ways they persecuted Christians was they would put them in between two walls. They built two walls up just narrow enough and they would put them down in there with their hands bound behind their back and just let them die over a period of time. The only thing that's going to help you on that day knowing what's ahead. That's it. It's being focused on what lies just ahead for those who have been born again. But you have to set your mind on it now. You have to set your heart on it now. You've got to think about it every single day. You've got to build up your expectation. You know, when you were a kid here, when you were a kid and you were going to go on vacation, And every day, you would get up when you thought you were getting close, and you kind of did a countdown. You know what I'm saying? It was like, oh, 10 more days, and we leave nine more days, and then we leave eight more days. And you kind of went through that process. And you might even pack your bags early because you were so excited, and you got everything ready to go. You thought about all the things you were going to do. You made plans. You thought, I can't wait to see this. I can't wait to do that. That's the kind of excitement we need to have about the new heaven and the new earth. I mean, just every day filling our minds and hearts with this thought of what would it even be like? We've got such a dull sense of the greatness of what God has prepared for His children. We're captivated by the world and its temporary beauty and all these things. But don't you know, guys, that God has something far better in store for us? Far better in store. Listen, when He creates the earth new again, who knows what it'll even be like. I can't go into depth on it, but our bodies, they'll be resurrected and glorified. We won't just be floating spirits just aimlessly looking around and think. We're going to have a life there. A physical resurrection from the dead. A body. We'll live there. We'll enjoy a new physical creation. You'll be able to touch and smell and feel and think and hear and all these things in this glorified body. Don't you wonder what it will look like? What will it smell like? I mean, just imagine it. What will it feel? What will the colors? Will God make new colors? Who knows? What does God really have in store for us over there? And listen, I believe we'll play. I believe we'll work. I believe we'll laugh. I believe we'll eat. I believe we'll drink. I believe we'll enjoy it. And we'll do it all in a place without sin. All in a place without temptation, without hurts, without corruption, without fear. And God will be right there amongst us. Listen, it won't be faith anymore. We'll walk by sight there. We'll see God. Face-to-face. Revelation says face-to-face. Job said it. Revelation said it. We'll see God. Can't you imagine it? And I'm telling you, some of you never think about it on a day-to-day basis. And when you do, it's not enthralling to you. It's not exciting to you because you've got a wrong perception of what it's going to be like there. But I'm telling you, It's going to be life and life more abundantly. Like you've never seen or felt or thought. That's our new home. A new earth. And a new heaven, it's our inheritance. Listen, let's just read it. I can't preach it, let's just read it. You be patient with me. Revelation 21. He said, I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. There was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, which will be on the new earth, by the way, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them. They shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. What will God do? He'll wipe away every tear from their eyes. There'll be no more death, no sorrow, no crying, no pain, for the former things have passed away. Then he that sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said, Write, for these words are true and faithful. And he said to me, It's done. I am Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end. I give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, the murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars, all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second day earth. Then one of the seven angels that had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plates came to me and talked with me and said, come, I'll show you the bride, the lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain. And he showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. Having the glory of God, her life was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. She had a great and high wall with 12 gates and 12 angels at the gates and names written on them, which are the names of the 12 tribes, the children of Israel. There was three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square. Its length is as great as its breadth, and he measured the city with the reed. Twelve thousand furlongs, its length and breadth and height are equal. Then he measured its wall, 144 cubits, according to the measure of a man that is of an angel. The construction of its wall was of jasper, and the city was pure gold, like clear gas, glass. Now this is the city, New Jerusalem, that will be on the new earth that we will inherit, amen? The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper. The second, sapphire. Third, whatever that is. Fourth, emerald. Fifth, sardine. The sixth, sardius. The seventh, crystallite. The eighth, beryl. The ninth, topaz. The tenth, chrysopras. The eleventh, jacinth. And the twelfth, amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls. Each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. There was no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light, and the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day, and there shall be no night there, and they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. Thou shalt by no means enter into it anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. Amen. He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its stream and on either side of the river was the tree of life, and it bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. the leaves of the tree were for the healings of the nations. There'll be multiple nations there in that new earth. And there shall be no more curse. Thank God for that. Remember that original curse? Oh, thorns and thistles the ground will bring forth, and by the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread. There shall be no more curse. But the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him. Listen, they shall see His face. His name shall be on their foreheads. Amen. So thankful today. You need to get excited about that place. You need to get excited as you think about that place, as you meditate on that place. Every day you need to wake up and when you go outside and say, it's a beautiful day, but there's a more beautiful day coming. Oh, that's a beautiful tree here. As Tamsi said last week, that's a beautiful rock. There'll be more beautiful rocks and more beautiful trees and everything will be brighter and newer and there'll be nothing that corrupts. You have got to get a hold of this eternal mindset. Listen guys, until you do, you're going to live for this world. You're going to live for this because you're going to think this in your mind, and I'm convinced that there's a lot of Christians today who don't recognize or realize that what they see today as blessings and beauty parallel in comparison to what God has prepared for His people. And so they continue to look around and they just think, well, if I just had this thing and this thing, I mean, I'll be so happy. Listen, there's a place that God has prepared where you will be so happy. You won't suffer. You won't grieve. You won't hurt. You won't sorrow. You won't grow weary. You won't have to bear unnecessary burdens. But it's a kingdom. It's a kingdom. and the only ones who get to be a part of those who have their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life. The only entrance to that kingdom, listen, the city there that we read about, it had four gates, but there's only one gate to enter into that kingdom. Jesus said, I am the door to Shephrod. I am the gate. He is the narrow way. He is the path that leads to that place, amen? Let's fix our mind there. Let's draw our strength from there. Let's look forward to that day. Instead of fearing, instead of dreading it, let's look forward to it, let's embrace it. That's how the apostles of old had to get through the difficult times, that's how we will too. You'll be so glad when you get there, amen? I just wish we could get excited about it, dwell on it, talk about it, think about it, imagine it, live for it. Let it motivate you to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to endure to the end, because those that endure to the end, the same shall be saved. Amen. And as we begin to dwell on those things this morning, let's stand to our feet. As we bow our heads this morning for just a moment, I just want to invite you to begin to think on things and I want you to hear what Jesus says just a few verses down below. This great invitation that he gives, verses 16 and 17 of Revelation 22, he said, I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star. Now listen to what he says, and the spirit and the bride say, come. Come. And let him who thirst, come. And whoever desires, let him take of the water of life freely. Amen? I don't know, maybe you're here and you came through the doors and you've not yet been raised with Christ. Maybe you came in on the wrong side of that if we talked about this morning. But maybe by the grace of God today, your heart's been changed. Maybe it wasn't today. Maybe it's been over the course of the last little while that God's been dealing with you. But today you believe by faith in Christ as a sacrifice for your sins. And you want to surrender your life in repentance and faith. If you're thirsty, he says, come. Come. You hear this morning? and you have given your life to Christ and you want to share the good news with the church, then come. Those that want to be saved, come. Give your heart to Christ. Praise God, amen. We thank God. So grateful this morning. So grateful this morning. What a blessing today, amen. Maybe you're here this morning, and as you consider these things, you think, God, just fill my heart with this excitement for what's ahead. And you just want to come pray, too. And you say, God, just fill me up with this. Help me to set my mind on things above. Help me to get focused on what's really important. Then why don't you come, too? That's my invitation to you this morning, church. God, open my eyes. I want to be filled. the vision of what lies ahead. What a beautiful place it'll be. What a wonderful place. What a great motivation this morning that we have. Oh, don't be temporal minded. Aren't we blessed this morning? An altar full of praying people, two people who want to tell you that they've given their hearts and lives to the Lord. Amen. We're so grateful and thankful for the blessings of God. So grateful. We're getting ready to join together with him in prayer. Then we're going to welcome our brother and sister, our new brother and sister in Christ. Listen to what he says here. He said, who believes in Him is not condemned. Amen? He's not condemned. Straight out of Christ's mouth, he that believes in Him is not condemned. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. and do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit, amen? Thank you for a saving grace. Save a sinner like me, amen? Let's pray together. Father, we thank you so much this morning, God. So grateful, God, for a new brother and sister in Christ, God. Giving their selves to you, God, and God, they are committing their life to you, surrendering, God. God, I pray you fill them with the Spirit, Lord. God, I pray it be genuine in them that they be born again, God. Lord, that faith, God, would produce in them a great love for you, God. And God, now that, Lord, we've discussed these things today, God, may their heart be filled with what lays ahead, God. Fill their hearts with eternity. Fill our hearts with eternity, God. Revive us again and give us a refreshing time, God, where we can begin to see the beauty of what lies ahead and we can live for that day, Father. With a great expectation. God, fill us with excitement for the day that's ahead. That God, no matter what suffering comes our way, no matter what trouble comes our way, God, that we have an anchor for the soul, God. That we have a great expectation and excitement that the inner man, God, no matter what happens to the outward man, that the inner man, would be renewed in hope and promise and joy and peace, knowing God that the promises you've made to us, you'll keep, God. You are not a man that you should lie, God. Help us to believe it and take hold of it by faith, God, and to set our minds and our affections on things above. God, how we love you this morning. How we praise you, God, today. We lift you up, God, and we magnify your name this morning, God. God, for your saving grace, God, I pray, God, that you would bless Sarah and Jesse, Lord, that you would touch them, God, that you would strengthen them now, God, Lord, that you would do a great work in their heart, God, and that we as a church could rally around them, God, and love them and fellowship with them, God, and that we could be there for one another, God, and share each other's burdens until we get home together, God. We will be together throughout the endless ages, Scott. How we praise you this morning, how we love you, in Jesus' name, amen. Sarah, Jesse, you all got anything you want to say, you'll have to say it, but you will. Thank God for them. We thank God. Church, gather around them. If you will, give them a right hand of fellowship, hug their neck, thank them. Thank them for being a part of our church here and for listening to the gospel. Thank the Lord for saving their souls. Amen. Come right around. Give them some love. Next Sunday they want to be baptized. I think they said they want to do it down at Pound River, down at the horse track down there. If you don't know where you can find them, we'll have a line to get us down there.