Where Are Your Affections?

Well, good afternoon and happy Sabbath to everyone. Here we are on God's Sabbath day, and we are enjoying the Sabbath. We've been able to come to church. We've rested from our labors from this past week. The question that really is important to a Christian is, where are our affections? Where are they right now? Where are they today? Where are they as we sit here? What is the most important part of our life? What are we the most strongly motivated by? Is it the work? Is it the career? Perhaps that you and I have been involved with in the last six days? Is it the relationships or the family that we are promulgating and developing and enhancing? Is it the entertainment and some of the action that makes life special, makes it very enjoyable? Is it the pursuit of possessions that you own? Maybe it's the house redecorating, remodeling, landscaping, other items perhaps that you're pursuing and saving for? What are the things that are most attractive to us that we have our affections on? Let me ask you this question. How special do you consider your place in the family of God? Now, that's sort of an ethereal concept, you might say, because we are humans. God is spiritual. The kingdom of God right now is of heaven, not on the earth. We don't see ourselves within the family of God in a spiritual, eternal sense yet, not until the return of Jesus Christ. We see ourselves in human families and tend to relate to each other more as friends on the weekend as we come to church. What about your affection and affinity for your future role within the structure of the family of God? Again, that's far off. It's distant. The Bible talks about it being difficult for eye and ear and the heart to even conceive of those future times, doesn't it? I think the answer to these questions has everything to do with where our affections are, where our true inward affections lie. Today, I want to examine the topic of affections, the affections that every Christian has, what they should be, where they perhaps are, and talk about the relationship that things on earth should have with things in heaven. Are our affections on God, or are they on the physical plane, or are they on a combination of both? And if so, what is the proper balance between having our affections on physical things here on earth and also spiritual things in heaven? Let's discuss that today. Now, the Bible says that you and I are chosen servants of God. That's a very special calling. It's a calling that not many people have the opportunity to receive. I was talking to my son-in-law, I had doubt on the drive here to Yuma this morning, about how special this way of life is, how enjoyable it is, how many blessings there are, and how few people today have the opportunity to experience those blessings. How really few! If you divide the number of people that we know have God's Spirit into the number of people that inhabit the earth today, we are an insignificant number. We are one individual among hundreds of thousands of people who walk the planet. And it doesn't seem like many more are catching the vision. It doesn't seem like there's a wave of new converts that God is drawing right now. So it even makes our calling and election even more special, doesn't it?

We have a special calling. Is that all we need? Does the calling, does the choosing, make us all set for the return of Christ? Does it put us in the place we need to be and matter of just, well, we're special. We have been called to do the work of God. I would like to compare us to a priest. The prominent priest at one period of time in the Old Testament was Eli. If you'll turn with me back to the book of 1 Samuel chapter 2, we see that Eli was a priest carrying out the work of God. He wasn't the only one that was doing the work of God. There were others around him. Now while you're turning there, I'm going to read one verse from Leviticus chapter 8 and verse 31. This is an instruction to priests like Eli. It says, And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, here's what priests do at the temple regarding the sacrifices, Boil the flesh at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of consecration offerings, as I commanded, saying, Aaron and his son shall eat it. So there at the door they were to do something special. They were to boil the flesh and eat it there with the bread in the basket of consecration. Now here in 1 Samuel we see many years, many generations later, the priests. I'd like you to notice 1 Samuel chapter 1 and verse 11. 1 Samuel chapter 1 will begin in verse 11.

This is a story about a little boy who was going to come to Eli, and he was going to work for Eli. He too was going to be called to be a priest. Verse 11, his mother, Hannah, made a vow and said, O Lord of hosts, if you indeed will look on the affliction of your maidservant, and remember me and not forget your maidservant, but will give your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head. Now Hannah was unable to bear children, one of the wives of Elkanah, and she wanted one so desperately she said, I'll give him to help Eli the priest, if you'll just let me have a son. In verse 12, and as it happened, she continued praying before the Lord that Eli watched her mouth. So here she was up at Shiloh, they had come up probably for the Feast of Tabernacles, as they did once a year, and she was praying quietly, almost silently, and Eli thought she was drunk. But she wasn't drunk, she was praying very desperately to God. Now if we skip on down to verse 24, we find that she had the child, she raised the child at home skipping a feast, she did not go up to the feast one year until he was weaned. In verse 24, when she had weaned him, she took him up with her with three bowls, one epho flower, a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, and the child was young. In chapter 2, verse 18, we see that Samuel administered before the Lord, even as a child wearing a linen ephod. So we see the course that this called, chosen individual took.

Now let's look at a little different spot here in chapter 2 and verse 12. The sons of Eli, these are other priests or ones working along with Eli the priest, the sons of Eli, it says, were corrupt. They did not know the Lord. When it says corrupt, the word corrupt, the Revised Standard Version said they were worthless priests, worthless priests. The New Revised Standard Version says they were scoundrels. These were individuals doing the work of God, standing in the temple, performing the duties of God. Where were their affections? Where were Samuel's affections? Where were Eli's affections? I believe we have a lot to learn right from this passage, from examples of individuals who were used by God to do his work. I believe that what they did and how they did it speaks to us today and has been recorded here in the Bible. In verse 13, it states that the priest's custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged flesh hook in his hand while the meat was boiling. Now, you remember what the instruction was? Well, the meat, have some, eat it right there with the bread. But these priest's custom was they would come along, their servant, they'd send, hey, go get me some meat, guy'd come along with his three-pronged hook and he'd thrust it in the boiling pot. Now, it doesn't mean the meat was boiled. It was just in the pot being boiled. And then he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshwood brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. Also, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed, give me meat for roasting for the priest. For he will not take the boiled meat from you, but raw. And if the man said to him, they should really burn the fat first, then you may take as much as your heart desires. Then he would answer them, though you must give it now. And if not, I will take it by force. So we can see here that they were not wanting and desiring to do the will of God, but their own will. They were not wanting to serve the people and had their affections on God Almighty and the special tabernacle that they were serving in front of, in fact, the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place. Now they had their eyes on themselves and their own bellies.

Verse 17, Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord. Now is there anything you and I can learn here? Can we be going to the Sabbath services, going to the feast days, and yet abhorring the offering of the Lord? Well, I have to, I need to, don't really want to be here, don't really want to tithe, don't really want to give and serve, but, you know, I am called and I need to take care of that business, too. What does our conduct on the Sabbath say to God? Do we say, well, I know I can't work today, but I can sure talk about it. I can't go to the ballgame, but we can sure discuss the scores. How about those diamondbacks, you know?

There are many things that would show you and me, if we were to listen to ourselves and think about what we're thinking and talking about, it would show us where our affections are. We might say, is it important for us to have our affections in the right place? Well, let's read on just a little bit further. During their tenure, these priests, little Samuel was growing up. He was dedicated to temple service. He then later on became a judge in three cities of Israel. There was quite a contrast between little Samuel and growing up and judge Samuel and the sons of Eli. This went on for many, many years. Let's notice verse 22. Now, Eli was very old. So we go forward in time, and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

So he said to them, Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil doings from all the people. No, my sons, for it is not a good report that I hear. You make the Lord's people transgress. If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him? Nevertheless, his sons did not heed the voice of their father because the Lord desired to kill them.

There are people doing the work of God year after year, and God wants to kill them. Verse 26, And the little child Samuel grew in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men. When Samuel was a grown man, the Philistines attacked Israel in a particular battle. In 1 Samuel chapter 4 and verse 10, that the climax of that battle is recorded the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated.

And every man fled to his tent and there was a great slaughter and there fell of Israel 30,000 soldiers. Also the Ark of God was captured and the two sons of Eli, Haphne and Phineas, died. Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line the same day and came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came there was Eli sitting on a seat by the wayside watching for his heart trembled for the Ark of God.

When the man came into the city and told it all, the city cried out. When Eli heard the noise of the outcry he said, What is the sound of this tumult mean? The man came quickly and told Eli. Eli was 98 years old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see. And then the man said to Eli, I am he who came from battle. And I fled today from the battle line.

And he said, What happened, my son? So the messenger answered and said, Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Haphne and Phineas, are dead and the Ark of God has been captured. Then it happened when he made mention of the Ark of God that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate and his neck was broken and he died.

For the man was old and heavy and he had judged Israel for 40 years. There are some lessons here that are important for you and I, important enough that God recorded them. They're important for you and I to use as a checkpoint in our own life, in our busy life, in our human physical life, the life of an individual that's been called to join Jesus Christ in heavenly things, to be growing now in spiritual things and developing the fruit of the mentality of the family of God.

What was it like to be Haphne and Phineas? And what's it like to be you and me? Diligent at first? Well, sure. We hear about the truth. We're very diligent. We're diligent in study and prayer and doing the works. Then they got ordained and then everything was sort of normalized and familiarity began to breed contempt. I don't know if I want to do it this way and I don't know if I want to do it that way and maybe we say, I don't know if I want to go to the feast or I don't know if I want to go to church or I don't know if I want to try it as hard and pretty soon we sort of start taking shortcuts, take liberties, become a little lax, then a little more lax.

Hey, we're still in the church, so we're still okay, right? They're still priests, so they're okay, right? I'm still a minister, so I'm okay, right? I mean, we all can say something about ourselves. I'm still running the PA system, so I'm okay, right? Well, just because we are around the church, does that mean we're part of the royal priesthood that God is developing?

These individuals thought they were special. However, their affections were more on themselves and what the roles and relationships could do for them rather than what they could do for others with those roles.

Today, let's discuss affections, the strong interest, the love that we have, see where our minds are, and look at prioritizing what is important to us and see if by prioritizing we can get our minds synced up with the way it should be as we've gotten children of the family of God. A person's affections really dictate what they're going to do in life. It compels them to go a certain direction. It shows our interests. It shows our desires. Our affections show God our purpose, show God our goals.

Where are our affections? Well, they are where our interests are. They are where our time is spent.

Here are some points that we can consider with regards to having our affections in the proper place. Point number one, get my affections off of me. There's a point that can help us prioritize, help us analyze, help us see the direction we need to go much more clearly, to tell ourselves regularly, get my affections off of me. See, we are all building a kingdom. It's our kingdom as our house, as our family, as our friends, as our career, our future, our dreams, our goals. That's our little kingdom. And then there's the kingdom of God. And if we spend all of our time working on our kingdom, which is going to grow old, die and fade away, we haven't built anything lasting, have we? Now, it's important to spend some time there, obviously, and do a good job with that. But it's also very important to have our mind on spiritual things.

If we look at the kingdom of God as to as really only how it will affect me, then there's just one more selfish application of our own affections. Oh, I love the kingdom because I'm going to get to live forever. I love the kingdom because I'm going to feel better. I love the kingdom because I'm going to be important. I'm going to be a king or a priest. Oh, yeah, I love the kingdom for me. We need to get our affections off of ourselves. Let's look at Romans the 8th chapter and verse 13. Romans chapter 8 and verse 13. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. So if we build our kingdom in the fleshly physical world, well, we're going to die and that's the end of it. Ecclesiastes tells you what the end result of a huge personal empire building will do for you.

It is temporary. It is very temporary. You can use the word useless in the long run. But he continues in Romans 8 verse 13. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. If your focus is on overcoming sin, that's what putting to death the deeds of the body, overcoming sin and developing the righteous mentality of the God family, then we're going to live forever. And what is that righteous mentality? It is service away from self, which goes hand in hand with this first point. Get our minds and affections off of me. Get them onto God and our fellow man, loving others.

In Galatians chapter 5 verses 24 and 25, the verses that follow the description of the fruits of the Spirit. And the fruits of the Spirit is really the goal that we all have. That's the fruit we want to develop. Right after that, he says, and those who are Christ's, those who are really Christians have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Crucified the self, as the apostle Paul says in Romans 6. Buried our old man with Christ.

Verse 25, if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Just getting our minds onto others, onto God, and onto others as much as ourselves. So living in the Spirit, walking in the Spirit of God. Having those fruits of the Spirit as active components of our lives.

We also need to get our affections off of physical, temporal things. Materialism. In Luke chapter 8 and verse 14, Jesus Christ made this statement, now the ones who fell away, will you and I ever fall away? How could we fall away? We've been called of God. We're part of the work of God. But he says, the ones that fell away among the thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares. Have their mind on their own cares. Riches. They don't just have riches, but they are pursuing riches. That's their compulsion.

Pleasures of life. That's the desire. It's about me, you see. Their affections are about what they can have, what they can taste, what they can hold, what they can feel, and bring no fruit to maturity. It's not wrong to have any of those things. God created us with five senses to enjoy many things. But our affections become zeroed in on those. We become like Hophany and Phineas. And our mind goes on to ourselves. And there's no future in that. In Matthew 6, verse 19-21, let's notice here that Jesus encourages us, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth. It doesn't matter how really exciting something is here on earth. It is so temporary. It is like a little mouse running in a little squirrel cage, you know, that just goes around and around and around. Because everything you buy gets old and out of style. And you gotta buy something else and old and out of style and something else and old and out of style. And if you play that game, you're just doing something futile. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. Any of these things are transitory by their own nature or by their position. Somebody can have it now, somebody else has it later, they buy it, they steal it, whatever. But it says not to put your affections on these things, but rather lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. How do you do that? When either moth nor rust destroys and their thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. So our affections really would tell us where our heart is. Our treasure is what we're doing. We could take stock and examine our life of what we're thinking on, what we're working on, where our mind is. And laying up treasure in heaven is nothing more than producing the fruit of God's spirit, of loving, serving, giving, being more kind, being more thoughtful of others, desiring to be more like our Father in heaven. Point number two. Once we get our affections off ourselves, the second point is to love God the most. Love God the most. We tend to love ourselves the most. Most people would be horrified if you ask them who their God is, even in the church. If we answered honestly, we would say, I am my God. That's an honest answer because we worship ourself, we protect ourself, we spend more time exciting and pleasing and nurturing and primping and making ourselves somehow honorable or idyllic than we do our God. We're lucky if we pray to God, we're lucky if we listen to God, we're lucky if we think about becoming like God. We're too busy being ourselves.

How common is this to love God the most? Let's look in 2 Timothy chapter 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 2.

Talking about our age and actually what is normal for you and me to be like. Men, humans, humanity will be lovers of themselves. There it is. We love ourselves first.

Lovers of money for themselves. Boasters about themselves. Proud about themselves. Lovers of money. Blaspheming God, putting God down lower than themself. Disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers of others pushing up themselves. Without self-control of themselves. Brutal. Despisers of good. Traders. Headstrong, hottie. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. What is mankind's God? It's himself. It's a tendency that we all have. It's something that we all have to fight. I have to fight it. You have to fight it. Every human, ultimately, will have to fight it.

Loving God the most is the opposite of our human nature. It is not normal in that sense. And so what we need to do is put our main affections on God. Let's go to Psalm 42 and the first two verses. Psalm 42 and verse 1. Again, man after God's own heart, how did he do it? How did he think? What was his mindset? What were his affections set on? He was a busy king. He was over a nation. It had many challenges. As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O God. My body pants. My body thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? That's the kind of desire that David had at this point in his life. It's an excellent example of putting God first and loving God. In Mark chapter 12 and verse 30, Jesus Christ encourages you and I to do something similar. Mark chapter 12 and verse 30. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart. That is really putting your affections away from yourself and onto God the most. With all your body, with all your mind, with all your strength, this is the first commandment. So what God begins to tell us is we need to totally mind shift our affections away from ourselves as our God, the one that we really love to butter up and stroke and enhance, and move our affections over to the real God, to our Father in heaven, to what He is doing, to what He's thinking. Humble the self and love God the most. The third point that can steer us in the right direction is to love God's laws, to actually love and embrace them. Now, they're different than our mentality would normally embrace, a different direction we would normally go than we would normally go. That real love and affection from God's laws come from keeping them, trying them out, appreciating the results, coming to really embrace them and love them. People that don't love the laws of God don't keep the laws of God. The most cannot appreciate them. In Psalm 119 and verse 97, Psalm 119 verse 97, David says, oh how love I your law.

There's strong affection for the law of God. We should have a strong affection for the principles of God's mentality, which are reflected in the Ten Commandments. It is my meditation all the day. There's getting the mind off of self and having an affection for the laws of God. Let's skip down to verse 103. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth. His mind has shifted away from the mentality that the sons of Eli had of putting meat, you know, barbecue in their mouth. They like the taste of barbecue beef. So here David says the word of God, the commandments of God, the law of God, is sweeter in his mouth than anything else. In verse 167, my body keeps your testimonies and I love them exceedingly. So everything that God is saying, David had a strong affection for that.

The fourth point is love your family. And you might shift over and say, well, we're coming back over to my empire now. Yep, I need to love my my family. I don't love your family. I just love my family. Well, we do have a responsibility to love our family, but not in the sense of my family, because that, again, is selfish, isn't it? Well, this is my husband. This is my wife. This is my kids. And all this reflects on me, and I want my kids to act and behave just right so that they reflect well on me. And I want them to be successful, because that will reflect on me. And I want my wife to be beautiful, because that'll reflect on me, or my husband to be real famous, or whatever. You see how that works? But there is a love away from self that God wants us to have with all humans. The love your neighbor as yourself includes those who are closest to you. We go back to Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 25. The Apostle Paul shows us here a love that is far beyond any kind of self-centered love or empirical love. Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 25 tells us of a love that equates with the love that Christ had for the church. Husbands love your wives. This is the outgoing agape type of love. Just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her. This is selfless. This is thoughts and love away from the self. That he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of the water by the word. Verse 28, so husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. Love your neighbor as yourself, including marriage. He who loves his wife loves himself. Verse 33, nevertheless, let each one of you in particular so love his wife as himself and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

In Malachi chapter 4 and verse 5, we have an admonition to parents to love their children. This especially speaks to fathers who can very easily be absentee parents. A father can be all caught up in a million different directions, especially if he is self-centered, and not provide the emotional support and guidance that is needed by the children. Here it says in Malachi chapter 4 and verse 5, Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, and he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. So there is a need for the hearts, the affections of the fathers and the children to get off of themselves and for families to serve and love one another. Otherwise, we see the direction is not one that God can support, because children left to themselves get into trouble. They sin. They break down and demoralize society. You'll recall the example of Eli and his sons. They needed a father. In Adam Clark's or Adam Henry's commentary, makes a statement, those who allow their children to go in any evil way and do not use their authority to restrain and punish them in effect honor their children more than God.

Let Eli's example excite parents earnestly to strive against the beginnings of wickedness and to train their children in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord. Fathers are needed for that. Mothers are needed for that. We have an important role. We can't be like Eli and sort of be back, laid back, casual, not involved. His sons showed an example of an individual who didn't love his family, didn't love his children the way that he needed to.

Point number five, love God's family. The church and the work that it's doing. Love the family of God. This gets our minds off of ourselves and say, oh what about your family too? You see? The family of God involves many brothers and sisters and mothers and grandparents and children. And if we love our neighbor as ourself, if we love our neighbor's family as we love our own family, then there's so much to give. There's so many arms to wrap around within our congregations. So many people to serve. We have to get our affections off of our own empirical family and onto the greater family of God. In John chapter 17 verse 21, Jesus Christ shows us the real family. Our own human family is very temporary. People in our human families come and they go constantly. They're being born, they die, they move. Various situations impact the physical family. But in John chapter 17 verse 21, Jesus Christ shows here very clearly the importance of the God family and the begotten family that God is creating. He's talking about not praying for those who are living at His time alone, but also others who would come along. Verse 21 says that they all may be one. One. And how much one are we talking about? How unified? How much should our affections be on this family? There's one family of God. They all may be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they may also be one in us. That is a strong affection, a strong affinity, a strong love and concern that goes from one to the other, a strong involvement in the lives of each other. In verse 22, and the glory which you gave me I have given them that they may be one just as we are one. Our affections need to be on each other, on the entire oneness of the family that God is creating. In Romans chapter 12 and verse 10, the Apostle Paul encourages us to have a broader scope, a broader mindset with regards to family. Romans 12 verse 10 says, Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love. Brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another. In verse 13, distributing to the needs of the saints, be given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. This is the oneness. Be of one mind. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things but associate with the humble. Be not wise in your own opinion. Get rid of your own self as your God.

Don't be wise in your own opinion. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. This is the mindset, then, that we are to wrap around everyone and get it off of ourselves and wrap it around and be a one part. A oneness of mind. A single group. Think of the family of God in those terms and be happy that your human empirical family, as much as God has blessed you, can be part of that greater family as well. We pray for the day that all people and all families will be part of the family of God.

We should pray for the ministry. Pray for the brethren. Pray for people we don't even know. Pray for others to have blessings that relate to spiritual growth because that's what God is involved in. He's not interested in somebody having a new car. He's interested in somebody having something that's going to build their character, which may be a new car.

Too many times we just think, oh, we need this. We want this. We want that. God gives us... you know, that's God viewing. God is in the process of developing character. He wants to build fruit. We can help people and encourage people to grow. Sometimes physical things are very much a part of spiritual growth.

The sixth point is love the world. You might say, well, wait a minute. I thought we weren't supposed to love the world or the things in the world.

John chapter 6 and verse 44, I'll just paraphrase it, God so loved the world, He so loved the world, with a deep love, that He sent His only begotten Son. Those that would believe in Him would have everlasting life. Should you and I not love the world? Let's contrast that with 1 John chapter 2 and verse 15. So we understand what's being spoken of. 1 John 2, 15 says, do not love the world or the things in the world. The word world is translated from the Greek word cosmos. It can mean society. It can mean the structure. It can mean the deeds, the mentality of the world. Do not love the cosmos, the system, the society, or the things of that system. If anyone loves the world, that cosmos, that kingdom, as it were, which is really Satan's kingdom, he's the God of this world right now, you really buy into that. You really like its politics. You like its ways. You like its its entertainment. You like that? Well, it says, in the love of the Father is not in Him. For all that is in the society, the lust of the flesh. Ah, now we see what we're talking about. Self, the lust for me, the lust of my eyes, what I, my affections, you see, if they go towards me, the pride of life for me, it's not of the Father, it's of the world.

And God didn't have His eyes on the world saying, oh, I like this world. This is a really fun place. These guys are doing neat stuff. Now, He loves the people in the world. We need to love the people in the world. Remember again, Mark 12, verse 31, says, love your neighbor as yourself.

And we find that one of our neighbors there is like the Good Samaritan, stopped by the roadside and helped somebody. He was concerned about another human being. Remember to love the world. That's what the kingdom of God is about. That's what our calling is about. That's why we're a firstfruits. We have come to serve the world. We have come to reign with Christ and bring them a utopia represented by the Feast of Tabernacles. That's their feast. We're celebrating it for them in advance. And our last great day. The seventh point is love the coming kingdom of God.

Godly utopia is not yet a reality. The resurrections still lie ahead. Love the blessing of these events to come. Love the blessing that humanity will experience from them. Love the millennium in that context. Love the second resurrection, that hundred-year period, white throne judgment period. Love it for all those who have lived and died that didn't really live as Jesus said.

In Matthew chapter 6 and verse 33, Matthew chapter 6 verse 33, Jesus said, but seek you the kingdom of God. Seek you first the kingdom of God and God's righteousness. And all these things shall be added to you. We should love that kingdom and what it means for others and of course ourselves. It'll be nice. But we should have the mentality that the Apostle Paul said, you know, God, if you will just bring all these people into the kingdom, you can kill me. I'll give my eternal life up if you'll just put these in your kingdom. See, it's about these. That's what the kingdom is. It's not about me. It's about all these people. If that's where our heart is, then our affections are on the kingdom of God in a right way. We need to set our affections on the removal of Satan the devil. Set our affections on the institution of Jesus Christ as the ruler. Set our affections on the way of God covering the earth, the resurrection for everybody to try it out, and ultimately everybody having eternal life with the mind of God. 60 billion people, at least, will have their lives upgraded all the way to spirit beings living forever in perfection. What a wonderful plan this plan of God is that's described and depicted by the holy days. In Psalm chapter 27 and verse 4, we should also love eternal life with God as part of this coming kingdom of God. Yes, there's a big part in it for you and me. Psalm chapter 27 and verse 4. Here's what David was thinking.

One thing, he says, one thing that I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek, I will put my affections on this, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple, putting our mind and loving God and looking forward to eternal life being with Him, along with everyone else and serving and helping. That's where our affections need to be. So, in closing, where are your affections? Where are my affections? Turn with me, if you will, to Colossians chapter 3 and the first three verses. Colossians chapter 3, verse 1.

If you then were raised with Christ, referring, if you go back to Romans chapter 6, you'll find that we were buried with Him in baptism, then we're to rise out of that to a new way of life. And if you were raised with Christ to this newness of life, seek those things which are above. We need a mind shift, put our affection on things that are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth, for when you died, for you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Brethren, if these points guide you, one day Jesus will say to you, well done to my good and faithful friend.