In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of going for the best and striving for spiritual growth. He encourages the audience to present themselves as living sacrifices to God and surrender their lives completely to Him. The preacher warns against conforming to the ways of the world and urges the listeners to be transformed by renewing their minds according to God's will. He emphasizes the temporary nature of worldly possessions and urges the audience to invest in eternal treasures by doing the will of God.

Hello, this is Brother Denny. Welcome to Charity Ministries. Our desire is that your life would be blessed and changed by this message. This message is not copyrighted and is not to be bought or sold. You are welcome to make copies for your friends and neighbors. If you would like additional messages, please go to our website for a complete listing at www.charityministries.org. If you would like a catalog of other sermons, please call 1-800-227-7902 or write to Charity Ministries, 400 West Main Street, Suite 1, EFRA PA 17522. These messages are offered to all without charge by the freewill offerings of God's people. A special thank you to all who support this ministry. Father in heaven, we worship you, Lord. Lord, we just want to shut our mouth and just be still in your presence. Father, we just ask you, in Jesus' name, God, that you would take control, God, of this meeting, Lord. Father, let every thought, every spirit be in subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, have mercy upon me, Lord. Wash me in your blood, God. Oh, Lord, please anoint your servant, God. I need you, Lord. Father, please give utterance and give unction to your word. And, Father, we pray that you would open up our hearts. And, God, the best we know how, I trust that each of us just opens our heart to you tonight, Lord. Father, we just pray that thy kingdom would come and thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven, in this meeting, God. Father, we ask these things in Jesus Christ's name and through his blood. Amen. You may be seated. Nearer, still nearer. Lord, to be thine. Sin with its follies, I gladly resign. All of its pleasures pump in its pride. Give me but Jesus, my Lord crucified. Give me but Jesus, my Lord crucified. I feel the message the Lord would have me to share tonight is an invitation to come up hither. In Revelation it tells us in chapter 4 and verse 1 that, I looked and I beheld and a door was opened in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was it were the sound of a trumpet talking with me. And he said, come up hither. In Ephesians it tells us that God has raised us up together and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Ezekiel heard the Lord speak to him and say, prophesy unto them. Thus saith the Lord, behold, O my people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your graves and my people and brought you up out of your graves, O my people. And shall put my spirit in you and ye shall live. And I shall place you in your own land. Then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it and performed it. Come up hither. As we sang earlier, I am pressing on the upward way. New heights I'm gaining every day. Lord, lift me up. Lift me up. And let me stand higher ground. Higher ground. Open your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 3. 1 Corinthians 3, beginning in verse 9. For we are laborers together with God. Ye are God's husbandry. Ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation and another has built it thereon. Let every man take heed how he buildeth thereon. For other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire. And the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss. But he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. You know tonight the burden and desire of my heart is to exhort you to come up higher. Come up higher. You know the theology, we can have it in our heads, seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, raised up together, but where is my life? Where am I walking? What am I building with tonight? Brother Denny shared Monday night, I believe it was, let's go for the gold. Well, here's your scripture. How are we building? Are we building with gold, with silver, with precious stones? Or are we building with combustible materials that will not stand the fire? Are we building with wood, hay, stubble? Oh, I want to encourage you tonight, come up higher. Maybe tonight it's possible that you're seated here and you're yet in a grave, yet dead in trespasses and sins. But God said, prophesy unto them. Thus saith the Lord, behold, O my people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves. You know God can do that. If you're in the Mary Clay tonight and you're in a grave and you're dead in your sins, hear the word of the Lord. God says, I will open up the graves and I will cause you to come up out of your graves. You know only God can do that. I can't do that, but God is able. He can do that. Come up higher. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. Where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, set your affection on things above. Not on things on the earth, for ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. Where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, set your affections, set your hearts affections on things above. Not on things on the earth. 2 Corinthians 2.4.18 says, We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. We need to have a spiritual enlightenment to see the way that God sees. To see the value system that God has. The things that are eternal. The things that are of eternal value. The things that will endure. The things that will last. The things that will last are not seen with these eyes. Many of them are not seen with these eyes. Now we can see things that have eternal value, they have value, they have meaning. But the spiritual things are not seen through the natural eye. But they are seen through the eye of faith. They are seen through the eye of the Spirit. Set your affections on the eternal. Set your heart on the things above. The things which are eternal. The things which are seen are temporal. They are but for a moment. They are but for this life. They are just temporary. And the Bible tells us that this life, it is but as a vapor. It is but as a hand breath. It is but a moment. It is like a flower and the grass of the field springing forth. And no sooner is it risen up than comes the sun and with a burning heat upon it. And it is withered. So is the glory of the man. If all that he has is temporal, earthly things. Hear the voice out of heaven calling out to you. Come up hither. Come up higher. Set your heart and your affection on things above. On Christ. On the eternal. At my right hand are pleasures forevermore. That the world cannot for a moment compare. We walk by faith. Not by sight. The things which are temporal. In 1st John it tells us in 2.15, 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 passes away. It passes away. The lusts thereof pass away. You know, brothers, sisters, all of these things, these things, we have a lot of things, don't we? We live in a world with a lot of things. But all of these things, that are temporal, are passing away. Oh, the poor rich man, who's not rich toward God, and all that he has is things, and he's invested his life in building up his things. Oh, the poor rich man, who's not rich toward God, because he has invested his life in stubble, instead of gold. Gold. Oh, come unto me, I counsel thee, come unto me, says Jesus. The world is fleeting. It is passing. And the lusts thereof, it passes away. And it is no more. But he that doeth the will of God, abideth forever. Go for the gold. Step over the line. Romans 12, verse 1 says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, for this is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world. You see, the world has a form. It has a mold. And it wants to fit you into its mold. Through the allurement of the temporal, that which is seen with these eyes, through all manner of things. You know, the Bible tells us, all of these things, this world is going to be burned up. You know, when you get that new car, it's on its way to the junkyard. And it's going to be burned up. When you get that new computer, yes, we may need some of these things in our businesses, in our lives. But they're going to be burned up. They are fleeting. They are temporal. Set your affection on things above. Not on things on the earth. You know, this world wants to conform you into its image, into its value system. Oh, tonight, I urge you in the name of Christ, go higher. Be done with the stubble, with the hay. Go for the best. Go for the gold. Come up higher. Press on the upward way. Present your body. Present yourself to God. Give yourself completely to God. A living sacrifice. Surrender your life to Him. Completely, totally to God. A living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. A renewing of the mind into the heart and will and purpose of God for your life. That you may prove what is that good, acceptable and perfect will of God. Go for the gold. Step up higher. Higher ground. Hebrews 12 exhorts us, seeing that we are encompassed about with so great a cloud of witness. Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us. Let us lay aside those weights. You know, it's hard. It's hard to make progress when you're weighed down with weights. That fellow, Joseph, that you showed there on the board in children's class, with all of those bags, with all of those weights, weighed down with sin, with guilt, with bondages. A slave to the devil. A slave to sin. Sinner friend tonight, if you're down there in that mire, and you're in that pit, in that grave, the Lord Jesus Christ can set you free. He can deliver you. But I'd also like to speak to the Christian tonight. Hebrews, I believe is an exhortation to the Christian. He says, Oh, look around you. See the great cloud of witness who have run before you. And they have been faithful. And they have received the victor's crown. The battle's over and they've won the crown. Glory. Look around you. See that great cloud of witness. And let us lay aside every weight. And the sin which does so easily beset us. Are there some weights in your life? Are there some things that are holding you down? Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Hallelujah. Is there stones in the back of the buggy? Remember brother Emmanuel's message? You know, you can just come to Jesus with those weights. Burdens are lifted at Calvary. Those weights, those sins that so easily beset. Lay them aside. Put them off. Just listen to these words from the Scriptures. These are in Ephesians 4. This I say therefore and testify in the Lord that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their hearts. Who being past feeling had given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ if so be that ye have heard Him and have been taught by Him as the truth is in Jesus. That ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor for we are members one of another. Be ye angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. Neither give place to the devil. Colossians 3 says Verse 5 Mortify, mortify your members which are upon the earth. Fornication and uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concubinces, covetousness which is idolatry. For which thing's sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. In which ye also walked sometime when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these. Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. And lie not one to another. Seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds. And have put on the new man which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of him that created him. Is there straw in my life? Is there stubble in my life? Fornication and uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concubinces, covetousness which is idolatry. For which thing's sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. In which ye also walked sometime when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these. Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. And lie not one to another. Seeing ye have put off the old man with his deeds. And have put on the new man which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of him that created him. Is there straw in my life? Is there stubble in my life? When God's declaration of the work will be manifest by fire. How am I building? What material am I using? What am I laying upon the foundation of Jesus Christ? Is there the stubble of just simply silliness versus being sober, diligent? Is there the stubble of foolishness and vain talk? Is there the stubble of being overtaken with temporal things? When it is tried by fire, the stubble is gonna burn. The hay is gonna burn. Our God is a consuming fire. How are you building tonight? What material are you using? Where is your heart and affections? Is it on him? Is your love on him, the Lord Jesus? Put off the old man with his deeds. Put on the new man. Make no provision to fulfill the lust of the flesh. Put off the former conversation of the old man. Such were some of you. But not anymore since you've been washed. Put on the new man. Come up hither. Step up higher. Philippians 3 tells us in verse 17, Brethren, do follow us together of me and mark them which walk. So as you have us for an example, for many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and who glory in their shame, who mind earthly things. You know their mind is on earthly things. My brothers and sisters, you then be risen with Christ. Seek those things which are above. It's quite a commentary. Enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is their shame, and who mind earthly things. Oh, but the next verse, For our conversation is in heaven. Brothers and sisters, our conversation is in heaven from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you earthbound? Are there some weights of earth hanging on? Romans 8 tells us in verse 11, If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh to live after the flesh. For if you live after the flesh, you shall die. But if you through the Spirit demortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Aga, Father! Aga, Father! The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. If so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. Binding you, holding you down. Oh, come up higher. Put off the old man with his deeds. Come up higher with Christ. We are debtors, but not to the flesh. We are debtors to Christ. We are not our own. You are bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit. These verses in Romans were just so precious to me. You know, earlier in Romans it speaks of a person who is striving in his flesh to put off some sinful actions and to not do them, but he keeps failing and failing. He says, all the things that I want to do, the things that I would, I just can't do them. And he is in bondage to sin. But here, this is talking about something altogether different. Oh, if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus Christ from the dead dwelling in you, he shall also quicken your mortal bodies. Brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. We don't have to. Because, through the spirit, ye do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. You know, that's very different. Through the spirit, mortify the deeds of the body, that ye shall live. Remember the message, Brother Emmanuel preached, the folly of trying harder versus repentance. You see, when we just keep trying harder, we are stuck back there in Romans 7. And we just can't achieve. But when we have the spirit of Christ in dwelling, and we recognize we can't do it, but we through the spirit, to mortify the deeds of the body, then we shall live. Coming to God, crying out to God, in faith, through the spirit, not leaning upon my flesh, not leaning upon my own abilities and ambitions, or my own craftiness, but coming to God. And through the spirit, mortify the deeds of the body, put him to death, ye shall live. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father. You see, that's the premise of victory. I belong to Jesus. He's my Savior. We have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear. But we have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father. Just like to give you a little illustration. You know, the word of God is quick. It's powerful. Jesus, when he was tempted, he used the word. How beautiful, how beautiful, to just use the scriptures. And how beautiful, to stand in that place of justification by faith. And then, when the tempter comes, and starts throwing all kinds of things your way, you can hold up that shield of faith, and quench the fairy darts of the wicked one. So, you wake up in the morning. Someone shared with me, they struggle with temptation when they wake up in the morning. I said, oh my brother, when you wake up in the morning, say, good morning Lord, my Savior. Lord Jesus, I love you. I give you my heart, my soul, my all. Thank you Lord, that through you, I can do all things. Thank you Jesus, because you strengthen me today. Thank you Jesus, for saving my soul. Thank you that I'm your child. Thank you that you love me Lord. I worship you Lord. I praise you Lord. I'm yours Lord, not my own. I give you my mind, I give you my heart, I give you my plans for the day. And Lord, I thank you, that you promised, that greater is he that is in me, than he that's in the world. You promised Lord, you'll not allow any temptation to come my way, that you'll not also make a way of escape, and be able to bear it. Oh Lord Jesus, I'm looking to you this morning, to save me today, from the hand of the enemy, to keep me. I'm persuaded you're able. I know you're able. Oh glory, you know, stepping up higher, fully surrendered. Lord, Father sanctify my heart and life today. Draw me nearer Lord Jesus. I believe that was Paul's prayer for the church at Colossae, when he said, since I heard of your faith, of your walk with God, I do not cease to pray for you, and desire that you might be filled with the knowledge of his will, and all wisdom, and spiritual understanding, that you might walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience, long-suffering with joyfulness, giving thanks unto the Father, which has made us meet, to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption, through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven, and the first voice which I heard, was as it were the sound of a trumpet, talking with me, and said, come up hither, come up hither, tonight that's my encouragement to you, step over the line, like Moses did, he has seen the reproaches of Christ, and has greater riches, than all the treasures of Egypt, step over the line, present yourself wholly, totally to Christ, give him your future, give him your dreams, give him your plans, come to the right hand of the throne of God, where there's pleasures, and delights, and joys, that are forever more, you know, the stubble is going to burn up, the hay, from what I know of hay, you put fire to hay, it's going to burn, what I know of wood, it'll burn, but gold, gold will not burn, let's go for the gold, let's bow our heads in prayer, oh God, what you can do, with just one, just one, who is completely sold out, totally surrendered, in your hand, you tell us your eyes, are running to and fro, over the face of the whole earth, oh God, could your eyes stop, and look upon us tonight, and show yourself strong, toward those whose hearts are perfect, toward you Lord, Father tonight, we just give you these words, we pray Father, that if there's anyone playing games, with the things that are going to burn up Lord, and it's not going to last, it's just like a little paper, a little paper city, a little toy playhouse, when they could be laying up, treasures, in heaven, gold, silver, precious stone, oh Father, I pray have your way Lord, take us on upward Father, we want to grow Lord, we want to stay the same, so Father purge out the dross, that only that which is pure, may remain, do it now Lord, that we wouldn't be ashamed of that day, when you come Lord, so Father, I just commit these dear souls to you, pray your blessing upon them God, in Jesus name.