There are so many false religions and crazy philosophies out there these days.  And then there are just plain crazy people.  I could go on all day about the Catholics, Charismatics, or Mormons, but I think I will just attack straight up crazy today.  According to wikipedia “Grandiose delusions are principally a subtype of delusional disorder that occurs in patients suffering from a wide range of mental illnesses”.  Oh thanks that helps a lot, sounds like the average sinner to me.  But these really are funny, people actually think they are famous, or some sort of royalty, or even the King of England!   Can you believe that?

I’m not sure I believe that, but I do believe that the heart of man is deceitfully wicked.  And I’m not sure how this weeks sermon unveiled that or pushed anyone towards something better, towards Christ.  Bashing the false religions of the world is a little strange but “think on the things of heaven” and then ending there seemed quite vapid, quite crazy.  The best parts of the story were cut out.  What does it mean to think about heavenly things?  What about facing the glaring reality that we can’t do it, without Christ?

“What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
and the fat of well- fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.
“When you come to appear before me,
who has required of you
this trampling of my courts?
Bring no more vain offerings;
incense is an abomination to me.  Isaiah 1:11-13

God did say this to his people, but to portray them as perfect outward conformity with internal deadness is crazy.  Though I have heard it may times.   All it takes is a little context, they may have been doing these things, but they were ignoring the majority of the law.  They offered sacrifices, to Yahweh, but he was just one of many in their pantheon.  And their lives reflected this chaos, it wasn’t just a secret heart issue that was on display or in need of remedy.  They needed different actions, real, external actions. Keep reading verse sixteen.

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause

This is a list of things to do.  Of course they couldn’t do it without the grace of God.  Of course it’s representative and not exhaustive, but it is a list.  And neither can we have a correct heart or a correct focus without Jesus. But if we have the Spirit we should act like it externally.  It’s not just about theoretical, abstract beliefs.  This is how God’s people should act.

Paul seems to be always pushing this point.  In Colossians it is made very clear.  He does say we should “set our minds on the things above and not the things below”, but it is in the middle of the book.  The things of earth are a reality, it was no mystery to them. What is the context?  Paul is suffering, they are being persecuted, there are false teachers lying to them and making up rules about food, and there are countless temptations to sin.  It’s not much different from today.  And the temptation to live as if this was all there was, is real to us.  So then Paul says, “set your minds on the things above”.  What are the things above?  Christ.  And how did he get above?  He died.  Your baptism was a picture of that, if you want to be raised on high, to heaven, you must die.  Get your desires and worries and all the selfishness of this world, out of the way.

What is Christ doing on high, in glory?  He is reigning as a king on his throne.  We don’t have the best view of kings these days.  But we still look to our political leaders to provide good things for us. The ideal king of the Old Testament was a sacrificial, humble leader who applied his wisdom to accomplish the list Isaiah used above.  Christ, the perfect king is reigning on high. And Paul says “we will also appear with him in glory.”  We are sons of the king people!  That crazy guy above, who thought he was the King of England, was closer to sanity than many Christians.  We are royalty in heaven despite what it looks like here on earth.  So act like it!  The news this very day is full of stories of British royalty who are not acting like it.  The press loves it, but it is a great shame to our sister nation.  Prince Harry is always running around with scantily clad women and now it looks like Prince Andrew is abusing young girls.  They are not acting like royalty, they are giving their country a bad name.  This is what it looks like when Christians act like the world.  We give our king, Jesus, a bad name.

So Paul goes on.  We are royalty, we have been given a position we didn’t deserve or earn, so act like it.  He gives us a list.  He doesn’t just end with “think about heaven in 2015,[corny guitar solo] bye”.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. . . But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, . . .

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye- service, as people- pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person

This is how the heirs of the King are supposed to act.  So go and make your king proud.  It’s a privilege.  Don’t let it end with a theory.  Don’t throw up your hands and call me a legalist.  Love him because he first loved you.