A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste Series

Series: Living in the Spirit 2

Sermon: A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Hasn’t it been fun to study the Holy Spirit? There are so many amazing facts about the Holy Spirit. It seems behind ever verse we read in the Bible we discover something new and awesome about the Holy Spirit. Jesus really gave us a wonderful gift when he sent the Holy Spirit into the world. The Holy Spirit has sort of being playing with me all through this series. Last week was a good example when he said, “Stop the sermon after the first point” and then this week he has moved this sermon in a total different direction than I ever dreamed.

Last week we began a study of Romans 8 in order to learn what life would look like if we choice to live life in the Spirit. We found that the Holy Spirit was a big deal to Paul. Jesus had saved him from his sin (and there were many) but the Holy Spirit lived with Paul and deepened his relationship with Jesus on a daily basis. The Holy Spirit changed the way Paul lived his daily life and that is what we are trying to learn more about. We are asking, “What would life be like if we lived life in the Spirit?’

In the first four verses of Romans 8 we found that if we live life in the Spirit we will be free: free from the condemnation of sin. It is Living in Spirit that constantly reassures of this forgiveness. If we are free from the condemnation of sin we can enjoy the life God has given us. Living in the Spirit allows us to live in freedom.

Today we want to continue by looking at Romans 8:5-17.

I love music. I love to sing. I love to listen to people sing. Gretchen came across a song this week that she used in her Guidance Classes at Bobby Ray. I am not sure what the topic was but it must have been quite interesting because she went around the house singing it. It goes like this:

Nobody Likes Me

Nobody likes me

Ev’rybody hates me

Guess I’ll go eat worms

Long, thin, slimy ones

Short, fat, juicy ones

Itsy, bitsy, fuzzy, wuzzy worms.

Down goes the first one

Down goes the second one

Oh, how they wiggle and squirm

Long, thin, slimy ones

Short, fat, juicy ones

Itsy, bitsy, fuzzy, wuzzy worms.

Up comes the first one

Up come the second one

Oh, how they wiggle and squirm

Long, thin, slimy ones

Short, fat, juicy ones,

Itsy, bitsy, fuzzy, wuzzy worms.

I can understand why this song would strike such a powerful cord with children especially as they begin a new school year. But the truth of the matter is that each of us often feel the same way. Sometimes our mind tells us, “you are unlovable and that no one will ever love you.” Our thinking tries to convince us that the best we can ever hope for is a big ole fuzzy wuzzy worm.

We can be certain that Paul struggled with such thoughts. In fact, to some extent, they were true. There were a lot of people who did hate Paul. However Paul also learned a powerful truth.

When we choice to live life in the Spirit it can change the way we think.

--Did you notice how many times Paul used the word: Mind? (read vv. 5-9) 5 times

--What is the public service announcement? “A Mind is a terrible thing to waste.” Paul would concur

--There is a popular book out titled: Battlefield of the Mind. Youth are studying it.

Central ideal: battle: good-evil and the mind is often the place the battle rages.

--TRUTH: there is a battle going on for the control of the human mind.

--This is nothing new: this is one of the oldest tricks in the book.

--Serpent got into Eve’s mind and twisted her thinking

Lesson: We must be careful about what we allow into our minds.

--Proverbs 23:7 (KJV)“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

--“You are what you are and where you are because of what has gone into your mind, and you can change what you are and where you are by changing what goes into your mind. In other words, your thinking directly affects your performance, and what you put into your mind affects your thinking.” (Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World, Zig Ziglar, p.4)

--Paul recognized the danger of dwelling on the negative

--spend our time dwelling on the bad things

--thinking on our failures

--often leads to “The I can’t blues.”

--simplified: Garbage in…..Garbage out

There is so much garbage out there, what can we do? How can we guard our minds?