Mindset Matters (Romans 8:5-11) Series

Good morning. I’d like you to turn in your Bibles to Romans 8, as we continue our journey through what many people believe to be the greatest chapter in the entire Bible. We introduced chapter 8 by talking about how it was the greatest portrayal…

• Of the depth of God’s love for his children.

• Of the brokenness of creation

• Of God’s design and purpose for life

• Of the relationship we have with the Trinity

• Of our assurance of salvation

• Of the Holy Spirit empowering us to walk with Christ.

And it’s this last point that you are really going to see in our text for this morning. One of the features of Romans 8 is that the Holy Spirit really takes center stage in this chapter. Up to this point, Paul has only mentioned the Holy Spirit twice. But in chapter 8, Paul mentions Him twenty times.

We are going to be studying verses 5-11 this morning. Hopefully you’ve found it in your copy of God’s Word, and I’d like you to stand to honor the reading of God’s Word. I am reading from the English Standard Version:

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus[d] from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. You may be seated.

[Pray]

There’s a phrase that Paul uses five times in the first three verses. He talks about setting our minds on one of two things, or the mind set on this thing or the other.

So I want to start off this morning by asking you, “What is a mindset? When people talk about their mindset, what does it mean? And is it the same thing Paul meant when he talked about what we set our minds on.

If you ask a psychologist, they will tell you that your mindset is a set of beliefs that shape how you make sense of the world and yourself. It influences how you think, feel, and behave in any given situation.

Henry Ford had maybe the most famous quote about mindset. The pioneer of mass production of the automobile said,

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right,”

In 2006, psychologist Carol S Dweck made a splash with her book Mindset. Dweck was interested in how people cope with failure. She ran a series of observations of children who were given increasingly difficult puzzles to solve. She watched as some kids threw their hands up in frustration and said “I just can’t do it.” But other kids would sit down in front of a hard puzzle, rub their hands together, and say, “I love a challenge.” Dr. Dweck said the difference was mindset. Mindset, said Dr. Dweck, profoundly affects the way you live your life.

Some people have what she calls a “fixed” mindset. This is the idea that the intelligence, talents, and abilities you are born with set the limits for what you are able to achieve.

These are people who believe they have only a limited level of intelligence, a set personality, and a fixed moral character. And people with a fixed mindset will either spend their lives trying to prove that they are living up to whatever their potential is, or they will throw their hands up in the air and do nothing when they encounter a problem they see as beyond their capacity.

But then there is the growth mindset. Instead of looking at their current IQ or personality or moral character as the limit of their capacity, they see it as their starting point. People with a growth mindset believe that a person’s true potential is unknowable. That it is impossible to foresee what can be accomplished with passion, effort, and training.