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.
James 4:4-7 (NIV) 4 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. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
So, putting it all together we get, ….
1 Friendship with the world is directly against our relationship with God
2 Those controlled by the Spirit are not this way.
3 The only Biblical way to live the Christian life is in submission to God!
C Putting On The Mind Of Christ Is Being Fed Up With Sin – verse 3
1 Let me tell you something, Jesus is fed up with sin!
a When Jesus died He did not die in sin – He was not sinful
b When Jesus died he did not die under sin – Sin was not the victor
c When Jesus died on the cross, He died TO sin
1 He took our sins
2 Paid our penalty
3 And His resurrection severed any relationship He had to sin
4 The next time you see Jesus dealing with sin, He will be judging from his throne
2 We need to get fed up with sin!
a We need to say enough in our lives
b We need to say enough in our homes
c We need to say enough period
Illustration: Have you ever seen kids at the beach. They are down by the by the water, and running up and down as the waves come in. They run down close to the water, and the dash up in order to keep the wave from overtaking them. Sometimes Christian are like that with their tolerance of sin. We keep our distance alright, but, just like the waves, as sin goes down further into its abyss, we keep our distance, but in reality, we are just being drawn down with it. We just don’t realize it until, just like the child that sudden wave comes in and catches us!
D Putting On The Mind Of Christ Is Enduring The Ignorance Of The World – verses 4-5
1 There are two things the world does not understand about Christians
a The world does not understand why beliers do not doe the things they used to do.
1 They were sinful
2 They were the reason Christ died
b The world does not understand why believers will give all that they have to see the gospel spread around the world.
1 No knowledge of what it takes to get to heaven
2 No knowledge of how close to hell they are
2 We have a Savior willing to judge men on the activity
a What they have done to other believers
b What they have rejected in the gospel
c But even though Christ is ready and willing to judge them He is also willing that none of them would perish. Christ desires every man to come to repentance!
E Putting On The Mind Of Christ Is Following The Example Of Past Believers – verse 6
1 They came to know Christ
2 They preached the gospel
3 They understood the importance of which judgment man stood under!
a The unbeliever looks and sees that the Christian dies – so what is the advantage?
b He never realizes that the “advantage” is what happens AFTER death.
Putting on the mind of Christ is essential if we are to live out the mind of Christ. In other words we need to fully accept our walk with Christ, if we are to share Christ with our world. One might even go so far as to say living out the mind of Christ is pre-kingdom living. So then how are we to live daily as believers, knowing that our Savior could return any day? Again, I would like to offer a few insights from the passage
II LIVING OUT THE MIND OF CHRIST
A Living Out The Mind Of Christ Is Living Seriously – Verse 7
1 The Christian knows he has a purpose on earth that makes his or her life VALUABLE.
2 Since our purpose is eternal, then those things we do should be measured against eternity.
3 The climax of history is the coming of Christ
B Living Out The Mind Of Christ Is Living Watching and Praying – Verse 7
1 Self-control here is the sense that we do not allow ourselves to be dulled in our mind so that we would be unable to pray.
2 Lots of things take control of our minds
a Drugs
b Passions
c Over-indulgence
3 Think for a moment if believers all around the world really lived prayerfully. They were always praying. What kind of world would we be living in? I am not sure, but I think it would be different than what we have right now!
C Living Out The Mind Of Christ Is Living Lovingly – verse 8
1 We are told to have a deep mutual love for each other in this world
2 The word, “deeply” means to strain, and stretch and push like an athlete in a race.
3 The prize then is to develop a deep love for others
a Makes it difficult to hate them
b Makes us sensitive to their hurts
c Makes us better able to respond to their pleas
D Living Out The Mind Of Christ Is Living Ungrudgingly – verse 9
1 Hospitality was essential to the early church
a There were no church buildings until relatively recently
b Believers had to meet in the homes of hospitable Christians
c Today we have buildings.
1 Today we communicate that we are a loving church
2 It is impossible to be a loving church on Sunday, if we are not loving believers with each other the rest of the week.
d It is impossible to have a dynamic ministry in the church, if you do not fellowship outside the church
CRAZY STUNT – How many of you are eating home today after church? Let me see your hands. I would like you to real quick write your name on a piece of scrap paper and put it in this box.
How many of you are eating out after church? Again, real quick, write your name down on a scrap piece of paper and put it in this box.
Now I am going to draw out names two at a time out of each box first the home eaters, and then the out eaters. These are the folks you are going to have dinner with today and get to know. Now those eating at home you will have to figure out who is bringing their stuff to the other ones home. The issue here is not the “unique” variety of your meal, but the fellowship you will have together. Play a game, talk, but get to know each other.
For the diner people, when I call your names two at a time, figure out where you are going to go together, and do it. Chat, laugh.
Now when its all over, come back tonight and tells us what you learned about these people you just met.
E Living Out The Mind Of Christ Is Living Gifted – verses 10-11
1 I am to be a faithful steward with the gift(s) God has given me
a A steward is one who distributes His Master will as His Master desires
2 I have a stewardship to serve others ie: believers with my gifts.
a So if I am not involved in some sort of ministry, I am not being a faithful steward
3 I am to you my gift to the fullest of its ability.
Brethren, the Lord is coming back and we need to be prepared now. God is expecting our faithfulness to Him and our preparedness now. Were the Lord to return today, how would he find you?
