Amen. Well, my heart is full today. I don't know about you. It's been a great Sunday for me personally. And I just love coming to church. You know, we had 31 in the Spanish this morning, and we had some regulars missed. So we could have had 40 this morning, actually. So it's great just to see people come to the Spanish. And then, I don't know if you saw, my daughter Jane got baptized this morning. And so I'm, I'm, I'm set, you know, I think I'm ready to go home. If you guys are good, you know, we had Sammy preach to us about soul winning. So I think, I think we can go home. Right. Before coming to Bakersfield, I was sharing with coworkers and neighbors and friends. that we were moving to Bakersfield to start a Spanish ministry. Most of the time I got, you know, weird looks and, why Bakersfield? And now we get to share our testimony with complete strangers. You know, people, yesterday when my wife and I went out and and uh, you know the one of the workers there at the restaurant asked us if um, you know, where were we from because he saw her area code and and we get to share with complete strangers and how we ended up in Bakersfield and the most common comment I get is uh You've been called to a higher calling and We we see in colossians 3 That the truth is that every christian in this room has been called to a higher calling. Throughout Scripture, we see this contrast between living for the world and living for God. Two weeks ago, we saw how the serpent was able to deceive Eve because she was more focused on the consequences rather than simply obeying God. Then in Genesis 4, we see the contrast of Cain and Abel. We can go there, Genesis 4, verse 1. And it says, and Adam knew Eve, his wife, and she conceived and bared Cain and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bared his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof, and the Lord had respect unto Abel unto his offering. But unto Cain, unto his offering, he had not respect, and Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell." Now, we're very familiar with this story, and Cain then kills his brother Abel because he was jealous. And we see this contrast. Abel and Cain. And we see that Cain would rather have killed his brother than repent for what he did. And now, I start to ask myself, that maybe this is a reach, but how could have Cain known that God would have rejected his sacrifice even before he offered it? Well, we go to Genesis 3 verse 7, it says, and made themselves aprons, right? When Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves in their own way, what did God do? Well, we go to verse 21, and it says, unto Adam, also unto his wife, did the Lord God make coats of skin and clothed them. God had clothed them in His way and demonstrated an acceptable sacrifice. And yet we see Cain did the total opposite of what God wanted him to do. Now we could say, you know, maybe he made a mistake, but because of the attitude of Cain, we see that that may not be the case. Then God condemns Cain and Cain gets to reason with God. Isn't that crazy? You're sinning, you're the one that made a mistake. Not made a mistake, you sinned, you killed your brother, and you want to reason with God, and God gives him that grace. Verse 13, it says, Genesis 4, verse 13, And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from thy face shall I be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, and it shall come to pass that everyone that findeth me shall slay me. And the Lord said unto him, Therefore, whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. And look what Cain did with God's mercy. Verse 17, it says, And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and bare Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. Cain decides to build something here on earth. which is not what God intended. We've seen that from the beginning, that God intended for us to have dominion with him to do his work, and yet Cain decides to do his own way. Then we see the descendants of Cain to the end of the chapter four, and in chapter five, Adam and Eve have another child, Seth. So in chapter five, contrary to chapter four, we see the descendants of Seth, which become the descendants of Noah and then Abram, all the way up to Jesus. And in chapter six, God sends the flood. 6-5 and God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Man had not gotten any better and there's a contrast of the wickedness of man with the righteousness of Noah in the same chapter. Then in Genesis 11, we'll jump to Genesis 11, we see a group of people that was of one language. Verse four, it says, And they said, Go to, let us build us a city, and a tower whose top may reach unto heaven, and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. Let us build us a city. They were trying to make, build something here on earth. They were just like Cain. They wanted to build a something here to satisfy their earthly desire. Then God gave them different languages. That's why now we need a Spanish pastor. In the contrast of the Tower of Babel is the next chapter, chapter 12, where Genesis 12.1, it says, now the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house unto a land that I will show thee. We see a man that is willing to obey God, to do what God commanded him to do. It's not both. It's not, well, I'm gonna serve God and satisfy my desires for the earth or satisfy the desires that I have to gain things in the earth. It's either one or the other. Either we live for the world, or we live for Christ. We can't have it both ways. It is not just, it's to every Christian, and we're gonna see that in Colossians 3 this evening of our higher calling. Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you, Lord, for a wonderful Sunday. I cannot but thank you. I don't have the words to say for what happened this morning, being able to baptize Jane. And Lord, help us this evening as we look at Scripture and that higher calling that you've called us to. Help us. Maybe there are those here that were doing that at one point. Maybe they were busy in the work of the Lord at one point and had given up worldly pleasures and focusing on the word or having affections on the world and maybe now they're not. Maybe now they're back to where they were before. Or maybe there's someone here who just got saved and just is starting to grow in the Lord and wants to leave those things behind. Help us, Lord. Speak to us this evening. Help us to see our higher calling and examine ourselves on where we are at. Be honest with ourselves. Ask all these things. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Let's go to Colossians 3. That's what I said we were going to be. Colossians 3, verse 1. And we see here Paul talking to the church at Colossae to write a letter he wrote into the church of Colossae. And we see there in chapter 3, verse 1, it says, if ye then be risen with Christ, Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. If ye then be risen with Christ. Now who is Paul talking to? Who is Paul addressing? I mean, technically it's a letter to the church at Colossae, but he is making a very general question, or a question to the general public that can apply to pretty much everyone in this room. If ye then be risen with Christ. Now who is risen with Christ? Jesus tells Nicodemus in John 3, 5, it says, So he's probably talking about me. When I got saved at 12 years old, he's probably talking about Jane who got saved on Wednesday and baptized this morning. He's probably talking about most of us in this room. And we're going to see a lot of conditional statements or if-then statements. If we were risen with Christ, The first thing that we want to see is that means that something had to die. Romans 6, let's go to there, Romans 6, 6. If we were risen with Christ, then something had to die. Romans 6 says, What does that mean? That means my old desires have died, my old dreams have died, my need to serve sin died. I am freed from sin. If you are risen with Christ, then we should not love the world or the things of the world. Let's go to 1 John 2.15. 1 John 2.15, if we, if you are risen with Christ, then we should not love the world or the things of this world. 1 John 2.15, it says, 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 is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof. But he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." There's a contrast there. There's a difference there. There's a contrast between all that is in the world and loving the Father. Well, how about my kids? How about my family? Does that mean that I get to be free from, you know, working a job and free from taking care of them? Does that mean that I should just go out and live in a mountain or just go out and be, you know, sowing in all day, every day? Well, 1 John 2.15 is technically, well, not technically, but it seems that he's referring to the earthly system controlled by evil and the devil. And how do we know that? Well, in verse 16, the author clarifies those things that come from evil. It says, and the lust of the eyes says for all that is in the world, all of it. Well, then he says the lust of the flesh, And the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world. Okay. So now I can ask the question or ask myself that question. Are we fixed on those things? Are we fixed on the lust of the eyes or pride of life? And if we say no, then great. But sin is not only doing the bad stuff, but it's also not doing what God wants us to do. And maybe at one point, we were living for God. Maybe when we got saved, we decided to live for God, and maybe now we're not. That's why we ought to examine ourselves and ask ourselves, where are we at now? So if we are risen with Christ, then we were born again to do something else. Let's go, let's go back to Colossians 3. Back to Colossians 3. If ye are risen with Christ, then we were born again to do something else. Colossians 3 says, verse 1, it says, If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things, things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. As we start this life, this Christian life, Paul gives us a specific way you live with Christ. You know, we sometimes use that term where we say, yeah, I live with Christ, you know, and we use it so freely, but Paul gives us a specific way. He starts out by saying, if ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. Now, is he just, positively thinking, he's just saying, hey, just look for the things above. He clarifies, it says, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. So he's talking about building for the kingdom of God. He's specifically talking about where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God for us to seek those things that belong or that pertain to the kingdom of God. If ye are risen with Christ, we should be working for the kingdom of God. How so? Or to what extent? Well, in verse two it says, set your affection on things above and not on things on the earth. out on things on the earth. There's a contrast again. There's above versus on the earth. My affection, that's a very, it's my worry, where I spend my energy on a day-to-day basis. My focus, my affection should be on the things of, if ye are risen with Christ, We should be setting our affection on the things above. But the problem is, is that we are full of this other stuff. Our cup is too full. We're too busy. We have our own lives now. And we have a, we have a, Just things to worry about. We have no more energy for the things of the world. We have our kids, our grandkids. We have our own goals to reach. We have things that I'm saving for, things that I'm saving my time for, my vacation for, my retirement for. I can't set my affection on the things above. I can't expound my energy on the things above. I mean, if I have time, I'll try. If I have time, I'll try to set my affections on the things above. Maybe if time allows, maybe that's where we're at now. Matthew 11, 28, we've read this verse before. It says, come unto me, all that ye labor. and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." How can I have rest when I'm working? How can I have rest when I'm busy working in the work of the Lord? It says, take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly and hard and you shall find rest unto your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. And Paul lived out this verse. He was full of joy when he was in prison doing the work of the Lord. Paul is writing to the Church of Colossians. God is telling us that in order for me to Take that yoke upon us. It says, take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lonely of heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls. This is Jesus talking and he's asking us to take on something, to take his yoke upon us. Oh, there's a problem, there's that problem again. If I'm gonna take something, that means that I need to remove something else from my life. You can't do both. You can't do both. And Jesus here is asking us, pleading and says, take my yoke upon you and learn of me, meek and lowly and hard, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. There's such a peace. and rest when we are busy in the work of the Lord. Yes, maybe our body gets tired, but it's just a calmness knowing that, man, I'm doing whatever God wants me to do. And maybe many of us here probably, you know, we were used, we were used to, we used to occupy ourselves before, you know, maybe Sunday night football or, you know, Saturday college football. And then you started coming to church and all that change and we don't do that anymore. And, you know, but the years maybe have passed by. Maybe you've served this church for a long time. Maybe now you're working towards retirement. Maybe you're occupying yourself in building a business. Maybe you're new to church, or maybe you've been here a while, and maybe you're starting a business, or maybe you have grandkids, or maybe you have other hobbies that are occupying that time. I don't know what we spend our time on here, but it's one or the other. It can't be both. Jesus told us, take my yoke upon you. So there, you know, we've seen that example with the water, you know, if you fill that water cup, you can't add anything else. You know, we've heard different, you know, they've used different illustrations on it, but if you have a cup full of water and you're trying to add on something to do, I mean, you're busy, your cup is full. You can't add on anything else. Maybe I'm misusing that illustration, but the idea is we're gonna get tired. We expound our energy on the world and we can't take on what God, what Jesus is asking us to do. It's one or the other. Why is it one or the other? Why can't I do church and still occupy myself of this world? Well, Colossians 3, 4 tells us probably a good reason why. Colossians 3, 4, it says, when Christ, who is our life? When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. If ye then be risen with Christ, that means that Christ is your life. If ye then be risen with Christ, Christ is your life. The reason why I can't occupy myself with this world because my life, all that energy, My life is Christ. And as we look at this year, maybe we can look at last year on what we did. Can we say to ourselves, can we be honest with ourselves that, hey, Christ is my life? Or was my energy doing something else? We have a calendar full of things to do this year for the kingdom of God. And it's not to just add on events, you know, for those of us that have nothing to do. No, it's so that we can work for the kingdom of God. And as we look on that calendar and we say, man, well, I can't do this, and maybe I can't do that. And if we start saying we can't do this and that, then our life may not be Christ. Why I used to do that before? Maybe, I mean, I used to be involved before and I gotta take care of everything else and... Remember what Caleb said, right? When he was 80 years old is, I want that mountain. There's our life should be occupied of not on things of the earth. if we are gonna proclaim, and who is he talking to again? He's talking to those that be risen with Christ. It says, when Christ, who is our life, is Christ, is your life, Christ. It says in verse five, it says, mortified therefore your members, which are upon the earth. And he gives a list of things, as in fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. It says, for which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience, into which ye also walked some time when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Line out one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." We have a new man. Now we have a new life. We have new desires. occupying ourselves on new things now, on the things of God. And Paul is telling these things as if it should be automatic, as if once we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, then we start occupying ourselves for God, and occupying our time and our energy for the things of God. It's a new life. It's a Christian life. It says, verse 11, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond or free, but Christ is all in all. Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any men who have quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. Above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also you are called in one body, and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and as admonishing one another in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of," what? Of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. I think some people may take that verse out of context, you know, but everything we're going to do, should be in the name of the Lord Jesus. But if we're not setting our affections on the things above, then guess what? We're not doing everything in the name of Jesus. Because we're occupying ourselves on the things of the world, on the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, instead of... It's one or the other. And as we examine ourselves this year, and as we look at this calendar, we want to, together, work alongside our brethren and work for the kingdom of God. And probably there's more that we can do, more time that we can devote to God. But I ask you this evening, and myself as well, is what can we take away? What things can we take away this year to give more time for God? May we add on some things this year that we strive to be like, man, I wanna be there for that. I wanna be there, you know, for what the church is doing here instead of taking events away. We're not just trying to build a crowd, but if we then be risen with Christ, if then this is what should happen. We should set our affections on the things above. Let's pray.