Appropriating The Mind Of Christ In Light Of His Coming Series

APPROPRIATING THE MIND OF CHRIST IN LIGHT OF HIS COMING

2 PETER 4:1-11

INTRODUCTION: Every day reports coming from the Middle East point to the unfolding of events that lead us to believe the rapture of the church is but moments away. Sometimes, my skin even bristles with an almost electric charge as I think of closeness and imminence of Christ return. At the same time, the Apostle Paul warned the Thessalonian Church not to be so heavenly minded that they were no earthly good.

Up until the very moment of the rapture of the church, we have a God ordained responsibility to live our lives in a pattern different from the world around us. So this morning I would like to look at appropriating the mind of Christ in our lives. I believe that our text gives us two steps in this appropriation.

I PUTTING ON THE MIND OF CHRIST

When we think about the mind of Christ, we should immediately be brought back to the words of Peter one chapter earlier where we read,

1 Peter 3:18 (NIV) 18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,

The Hymn writer said it best when he penned the words, “While he was on the cross, I was on his mind.”

When we identify with Christ through Salvation it is a demonstration of our break with the world and the things around us that by their nature are at enmity with God. Scripture calls that break with the things of the world, and association with Christ, putting on the same mind or the same attitude. Now perhaps there are more, but in our passage today, I find five things Peter identifies with having the same “attitude”, or “mind” as Christ

A Putting On The Mind Of Christ Is Arming Myself – Verse 1

1 Bible tells me to “arm myself

2 This is the same word used in Eph 6:13

Ephesians 6:13 (NIV) 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

3 We put on armor in preparation for battle

a There was no battle with the world before we were saved.

b Now we have a battle because we have a standard to follow in a world that has no standards

4 I am to arm myself with the same mind as Christ with the determination a soldier has when putting on his armor

a We arm ourselves for protection

b We arm ourselves to achieve our goal

c We arm ourselves because our enemy arms himself

1 The devil is not sitting around saying, “Lost another one to Jesus”

2 He is fighting tooth and nail for your soul

3 And if he lost your soul, he is fighting tooth and nail to keep you from impacting somebody else for Jesus

B Putting On The Mind Of Christ Is Doing God’s Will – verse 2

1 The verse indicates that we are to be anxious to do God’s will

2 To do God’s will means I need to break with my past

3 People are always interested in seeing if there is a short-cut to the Christian Life. But there isn’t!

4 Cannot live life in the world and its desires AND in the will of God

5 Notice the BUT in verse 2.

a Either we are with God

b Or we are against God

James 4:4 (NIV) You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

Romans 8:7 (NIV) the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

c Once we get a sinful mind – we will have a sinful action. Remember the words of Jesus!

Matthew 5:28 (NIV) 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

1 Jesus understood the link between our thinking and our actions

2 In the mind of the Lord the two were the same

d Lets return to the passages in Romans and James and read a little further, ….

Romans 8:7-9 (NIV) 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. 9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.