THE MIND OF CHRIST

SERMON STARTER

          Have you ever been torn about making a difficult decision? Have you ever wished God would swoop down with this giant finger and say, “Go this way!”? Life is constantly bombarding us with difficult decisions. Make a wrong one and there can be terrible consequences.

WHAT ABOUT. . .

Entering a church and hearing profanity in the back of my head. . .

Hearing accusatory voices in my thought processes:

          “You call yourself a Christian. . .”

          “Would a real Christian have said/done/thought that?”

Satan actually sent the “firey dart” and then he accuses us for entertaining it.

There were other self-talk, cynical voices:

          “Life sucks!”

          “You can’t do anything right!?

          “Look how religious those people are!”

          “Why me!”

          “God never talks to me!”

          “I’m worthless!”

          “How boring church is. . .”

          “Christian people are dull. . .”

          “You need more money/stuff. . .”

 

          This sermon explores obsessional thinking and how to get your mind unstuck from tormenting thoughts. It is a most profound thought that Christ has entered our lives so deeply that His thoughts sometimes intertwine with ours. It is a worthy goal to allow His thoughts and our thoughts to intermix until they become one. We can have the mind of Christ.

 

Pastor Phil  <><<  

 

August 2, 2009

Pastor Phil Roland, Sheepfold Ministries

THE MIND OF CHRIST

1 Corinthians 2:9-10; 16

 “It is a most profound thought that Christ has entered our lives so deeply that His thoughts sometimes intertwine with ours. It is a worthy goal to allow His thoughts and our thoughts to intermix until they become one.”                                        Pastor Phil

 

I.   WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST – 1 Cor. 16:b

     “we have the mind of Christ.”

            A. We are to invite Christ into our thought life – Phil. 2:5

                 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,”

            B. Cannot compartmentalize our thought lives

                        1. Cannot entertain worldly/devilish/fleshly thoughts

                        2. These thoughts grieve the Holy Spirit – Eph. 4:30-32

   ”And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were

     sealed for the day of redemption.”

            C. You are what you think – Prov. 23:7a

                 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

                        1. You may not be what you think you are

                        2. You will become what you think

            D. You can think God’s Thoughts

                        1. You can react and speak as He would

                        2. You can partake of the mysteries of God = 1 Cor. 3:23, 4:1

                            “And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.  Let a man so consider

                              us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.”

 

II.   GOD’S LAW IS NOW WRITTEN ON HEARTS - Jere. 31:31-33

“"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new

    covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;

  "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those

    days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their

    hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

            A. Once it was written in stone, now it is written on hearts

                        1. The Law expressed externally the heart and mind of G-d

                        2. The inward law has set us free – Romans 8:2

                            “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free

      from the law of sin and death.”

            B. The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ guides us internally

                        1. It is Jesus in you in every situation in life

                        2. Where you go He goes, what you think, He’s a part of it

 

III.   GOD’S SPIRIT IS IN YOU – 1 Corinthians 2:10

       “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches

           all things, yes, the deep things of God.”

              A. At Salvation, the Holy Spirit began to dwell with you – John 3:5

    Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of

    water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

            1. Your heart became His dwelling place

            2. His indwelling presence marks you as a Christian

B. You are marked and sealed by the Holy Spirit – Eph. 1:13

     “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of

       your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with

       the Holy Spirit of promise,”

            1. The Holy Spirit is Jesus’ promise – John 14:16-17

                "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper,

                  that He may abide with you forever; "the Spirit of truth, whom the

                  world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows

                  Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in

                  you.”

            2. He is the Spirit of Truth

 

IV.  THE HOLY SPIRIT KNOWS GOD’S MIND – 2 Cor. 2:10-12

        “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches

           all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a

           man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows

           the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the

           spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the

           things that have been freely given to us by God.”

      A. We understand what the natural mind cannot grasp – 1 Cor. 2:12

          “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from

            God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by

            God.”

      B. God’s Spirit leads us into Truth – John 14:6

           “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to

             the Father except through Me.”

                        1. Jesus said, “I am the Truth”

                        2. Jesus said the Spirit of Truth would come – John 16:13,15

                           "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide

                             you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but

                             whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to

                             come.”

                           "All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He

                             will take of Mine and declare it to you.”

 

V.  THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR INNER WITNESS -

            A. The Inner Witness is the Peace of Christ in you – Col. 3:15

                 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one

                   body you were called to peace.”

            1. The Rule of Christ in your heart is like an Inner Umpire

            2. He settles all matters of ethics and morality

            B. The Holy Spirit in you settles things with Finality

                        1. If you feel God’s peace about a certain direction: Go for it

                        2. If you don’t feel His Peace: Don’t go there!

THE MIND OF CHRIST, Text:

1 Corinthians 2:9,10; 16

9  But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

10  But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

16  For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

Philippians 2:5-11

5  Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

6  who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

7  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

8  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

9  Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,

10  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

11  and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Ephesians 4:30-32

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31  Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

32  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.