You Who Are Alive, Set Your Mind on the Things That Are Above

This passage likens Jesus Christ to a humble, unsightly quince, and describes the spiritual fragrance he spread through the world by dying on the cross. God chooses believers, cuts them with the knife of suffering and preserves them as if packing them in sugar, so that they hold a deep fragrance within. But if believers mix with the world and rot, they give off a stench and people will not come near them, so it emphasises that they must be an example through right living.

The sermon points out that when believers pray with their eyes on earthly things, God answers using these as tools, but in the end they must be used for what is eternal. Many cry out, longing only for the things of the world that will rot away, but God waits to give something better and gives the time needed for growth. Because believers' citizenship is in heaven, they should treat earthly things as accessories and long for the things above; otherwise, it warns, they cannot escape judgment. It also says to take care not to fall into false asceticism or fleshly pleasure, and that a fierce spiritual battle is needed to put to death the members which are on the earth, such as covetousness and lying.

Believers must live holy lives as they wait for Christ's return, and devote themselves to forsaking the empty world and keeping hold of the things above. God desires salvation for all people without discrimination, and if believers live holy lives after the image of God, they will receive the blessing of salvation whatever their circumstances. The sermon urges that, if believers are to enjoy peace beside Christ when he returns on the last day, they must now, on this earth, drive back Satan's schemes with spiritual authority and live lives they need not be ashamed of. What are believers holding on to?