Scripture: Romans 12:1-8 (cf. verse 2); Psalms 124
Theme: Our Minds - It's Renewal Time!
This message is centered on how the LORD wants to renew our minds - 1. Our thoughts dictate our lives 2. Our minds are Spiritual Battlefields 3. A Renewed Mind is the Key to a Transformed Life
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God our Father and from Jesus our Messiah, our King and God's Only Son who came to take away the sin of the world and infill us with His Holy Spirit!
Paul knew what it meant to be transformed by our Lord Jesus Christ. He knew what it meant to realize that Jesus was the fulfillment of all the Law and the Prophets. He knew what it meant to realize that Jesus was Israel's Messiah, God's Only Son and the Savior of the World. He knew what it meant to realize that on the Cross of Calvary King Jesus took all the sins of the world and defeated sin and all the powers of evil. He knew that Jesus' Resurrection was a visible sign post that the New Age, the Kingdom of God had started. He knew what it meant to begin to live out the life of a person who had been rescued from the enslavement of sin, redeemed by the blood of Jesus and was continually being restored into becoming a genuine image bearer of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
That is what Paul has been writing about throughout the first 11 chapters of his letter to the congregations in and around Rome. He has been sharing with them the basic message of Jesus Christ. The basic message that tells the story that through King Jesus and the infilling presence of the Holy Spirit all of us can fulfill the vocation that the LORD desired for all humanity. That vocation of reflecting God's Divine Image, of worshipping the true God and of then serving Him in His Good world. That vocation of living out an abundant life as a genuine human being now and being prepared to live the glorious life that God has planned for His redeemed people on the New Heaven and Earth.
Beginning in our passage, the Apostle seeks to flesh out what a life in Christ infilled with His Holy Spirit will actually look like on an day to day basis here on earth. The Apostle is very cognizant about the life to come and is very much looking forward to one day living on the New Heaven and Earth. But right at the moment he is living here on our present earth. Right now, the Apostle is concerned how to live life as a new creation and as a redeemed image bearer of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is more concerned about how to be a witness who reflects a life of God's holiness and grace. And he is more concerned about how to help his readers live out that same life - a life of holiness and grace.
And so, beginning in chapter 12 we see Paul spelling out what could be called a New Testament Halakhic. Now, what in the world does that mean?
The word "Halakhic" comes from the word "Halakhah" and is usually translated as "Jewish law," although a more truer and appropriate translation would be "the path that one walks." The basic root word "Halek" means to go or to walk or to travel. How a person lived would therefore be fleshed out by the path or paths they traveled throughout their life here on earth. Walking a good path would mean that a person has chosen to live according to a holy and righteous "halakhic".
An "Halakhic" was designed to help increase the spirituality of an individual and a community. It was thought that when a person and/or a community dedicated themselves to seeing everything they do in light of their obedience to their walk of faith that over time they would understand more deeply just how connected they were to the LORD. For example, if one faithfully reads their Bible everyday and prays everyday over a period of time they will realize just how deeply connected they have become to God's Word and how much they enjoy being in the presence of the Lord each day. By merely following that path - that "halek" (reading God's Word and praying) they will discover more and more that they are being transformed to think like the LORD, desire the things of the LORD and love the things that the LORD loves. By walking the path of the Holy Spirit they find themselves growing deeper in their relationship with the LORD and with other human beings as well.
In the opening verses of chapter 12 this is what we see the Apostle Paul doing. He is setting out some needed guidelines for what it means to "walk according to the Holy Spirit". Paul believes that he has been "anointed" by the LORD to share this teaching and message. He believes that even as the LORD has called him to be an Apostle, the LORD has also called him to be an spiritual mentor teaching the new way of life that has been made possible through Jesus our Messiah and Lord.
Paul begins by reminding his readers that following Jesus is not a half hearted or half committed endeavor. He begins by reminding his readers that to follow Jesus one must have the same passion and mindset as one has when they bring a burnt offering before the LORD. One does not present part of the offering but all of the offering. One does not lop off an ear and toss it on the altar and take the rest of the animal back home. One does not follow the Lord half heartedly either. No, instead one gives everything to the LORD. Nothing is held back - body, mind or spirit.
Paul begins by sharing that this walk with the LORD is a complete walk.
"Present your bodies a living sacrifice" "A sacrifice that is holy" "A sacrifice that is pleasing to the LORD"
For Paul to live out the new life in Christ is to be fully engage. It is to take seriously Jesus command to "take up your cross and follow me". Paul did not ascribe to a weekend only experience. Following Jesus was to be this wonderful 24/7/365 day life experience for the rest of a person's existence both here on this earth and later on God's New Heaven and Earth.
The Apostle goes on from there to the verse that I would like for us to focus our attention on this morning. In verse two we read these words:
"What's more, don't let yourselves be squeezed into the shape dictated by the present age. Instead, be transformed by the renewing of your minds. so that you can work out what God's will is, what is good, acceptable and complete." (KNT)
This morning, I would like for us to focus our attention for a few moments on the subject of our MINDS. In particular on the subject of what it means to have a renewed mind in Christ. How that we are to have an active, progressing , open, receptive and renewed mind in the LORD. How we are to allow the Holy Spirit to help us have the same mind as Christ. How that the Holy Spirit is to help us think like a person and a community who has been born again in Christ and now walking in the life paths of Holy Spirit. How the Holy Spirit seeks to help us rise above the mundane and cookie cutter mentality of this present age that seeks to enslave all of God's good creation.
Let's begin then by looking at why we should want a healthy mind in Christ and then what a healthy mind in Christ might look like in today's world.
I. We want a healthy mind in Christ because our Thoughts Possess the Power to Control our Lives
+Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV) 7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
We all know this morning that our minds contain great power. The thoughts that pass through our minds are able to shape our complete lives. They can influence and control our behavior, our attitudes as well as control our actions and reactions.
The old adage is true:
“You are what you think. All that you are arises from your thoughts. With your thoughts you make your world.”
We must be careful therefore how we think and how we create the way we think. Our thoughts are like little pieces of data being added to the memory banks of our mind's inner core computer. What we store there determines the kind of life we will eventually experience day to day. In order to make a change in our lives we first have to see what thoughts we have been feeding ourselves. We have to be aware of what kinds of data we have been feeding our innermost computer so to speak.
To use another analogy, if we are not careful we will allow others to plant the wrong kind of seeds in our mind garden. Many of us here this morning have at one time suffered because someone placed a negative thought about us or about our abilities and we watered that seed, we fertilized that seed and then we had to deal with the damaging result. We allowed one negative thought to grow and grow until that thought was able to injure us, stymie us or at worst ship wreck us.
The Bible tells us about a time when young man David had to deal with avoiding some very negative thoughts. They came out of the mouth of his oldest brother Eliab. ( 1 Samuel 17:28 - 29) It all happened when David was first contemplating whether the LORD wanted him to step up and volunteer to fight Goliath. David's oldest brother Eliab did his best to humiliate him and cast doubt in his mind. Eliab tells David that he is a nobody. Worst yet, Eliab tells David that he is a person filled with false pride, arrogance and a person who allows evil to not only have a place in his life but to reign in his heart.
Wow! What a nice brother. What wonderful words to hear at such a crucial time in David's life. Can you imagine the shame that David immediately felt as Eliab accosted him with such negative and hateful words? No doubt David had been on the receiving end of this kind of negative verbal barrage from Eliab many, many times. Talk about wanting to destroy someone right there in front of everyone.
Praise the LORD David did not listen to Eliab.
It's no wonder that David would later pen these words:
"Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there is any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalms 139:23-24).
David knew what it meant to have to deal with family and others doing their best to twist your thinking process until all you see yourself is a loser, a no body and a person that will never amount to anything.
Eliab was being a satan in the life of David that day. And that is something that none of us ever want to be. Instead, we want to an encourager like Barnabas in the New Testament or a supporter like Jonathan was to David in the Old Testament. We want to be someone who believes in others and who does their best to plant good seeds of encouragement and love.
This morning, we must understand that our thought life is important. It is important because how we think about ourselves, about others and about God will determine how we live on this earth and if one day we will live on God's New Heaven and Earth. How we see ourselves and others is how we will treat them. How we think will determine how we live.
II. We want a healthy mind in Christ because Our Mind so many times is a Spiritual Battle Field
Because we are what we think our minds are the main places where most of us will have to battle the Devil, sin and the temptations of the world.
Ephesians 6:12 reminds us:
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."
We must understand this morning that while the Devil was defeated on the cross it does not mean that he has been put away. Peter tells us that the Devil "prowls like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."
In other words sin, evil and the Devil have been defeated. We need to understand that reality. Jesus shows us that in the way that he lived here on earth. Jesus freed people from sin, from sin's enslavement whether that enslavement was spiritual, mental, emotional, social or financial. He cast out demons. He healed the sick. He raised up the poor and the needy and set right the way that we are to see on another.
The battle has been won but until the Day of our Lord's Second Coming we need to understand that while we are still here on this earth the Devil will do everything possible to twist our thoughts so that we will once again be enslaved in sin. The Devil will do everything possible to get us to believe his lies and steal the joy of the LORD from us. There are millions of Christians in the world living below the level of happiness, joy and peace that God has for them all because they have allowed the Devil to infiltrate their hearts and minds with negative and evil thoughts.
If the Devil can get us to believe a lie - He will.
If the Devil can get us to become confused - He will.
If the Devil can get us to start to doubt - He will.
If the Devil can get us to become restless - He will.
If the Devil can get us to become dull in our spiritual thinking - He will.
If the Devil can get us to begin to think His way - He will.
The Devil knows that the only power he has over us is the power we give him. If we resist him in the name of our Lord Jesus he has no alternative but to leave us alone. But if he can get us into having a conversation, if he can get us into accepting his way of thinking then he can begin to get us to give him our power, our minds and our lives.
The only way he was able to get Adam and Eve is to get them to begin thinking the wrong way and from their thoughts they then proceeded down the path of rebellion against the Lord.
The only way he was able to get King David was to get him to begin thinking the wrong thoughts and before David knew it he had raped a married woman and then had her husband murdered.
We need to understand that the Devil hates anything that has to do with Our Lord, with holiness and righteousness. We need to understand that he is the Father of Lies and that he seeks to never help us only to hurt and harm us. We need to understand that every time he tempts us it is to give him more power over us so that he can enslave us all over again. There is nothing good about the Devil or evil. There is nothing good about hatred, about greed, about lying, about immorality, about idolatry, about envy, about divisions or anything that has to do with evil. We need to understand that the Devil is not our friend, was never our friend nor will ever be our friend. He is a murderer and a liar at heart.
And we need to understand that most of our battles do not go on through our words or actions. Our words and actions are normally the result of the battle that we have in our mind. The Devil comes to our minds to lie, to confuse, to cause doubt and to get us to think the wrong way. For he knows that if he can win the battle of the mind then he can get us to say things, think things and do things that go against God's Will and that will result in our giving over our power to him and allowing him to enslave us.
That is why the Devil is working so hard in all the areas of modern day media - in print, in film, on the internet and on bill boards and advertising. The Devil knows that if he can get us to begin to thinking His way we will self-destruct. And so should it surprise us that more and more movies are filled with filth, immorality, lust, hate, racism and ungodliness? Should we be surprised that more and more space on the internet and more and more news stories are negative based. It's because the powers of the air know that if they can get us to thinking like the gutter we will begin to live like the gutter.
III. We want a healthy mind in Christ so we can enjoy Living the Resurrection Life.
We need to understand this morning that the reason the LORD wants our minds to be renewed is not merely to prevent us from being involved in thoughts and actions of ungodliness. It is not to merely get us not to self-destruct or to cause the destruction of others.
It's because the LORD wants us to live out the life and the vocation that He had planned for us in the very beginning of creation. It's because the Lord wants to share with us the ability to live out a life of holiness and help him co-create a world in which His Kingdom and His Will is done here on earth as it is in Heaven.
Think for a moment about what life must be like in Heaven for all the angels and different beings that presently reside there. There is no death, no pain or sorrow. There is no lust, there are no addictions, there is no hatred, there is no poverty nor division. There is no evil, there is no manipulation, lying or greed.
Instead, there is an atmosphere of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Instead there are conversations that speak about things that are true, that are honorable, that are just and pure, that are lovely and that bring encouragement and praise. All around heaven you would see angels and other heavenly beings looking out for one another, serving one another and helping one another become the image bearers of the LORD that they were created to be.
That kind of world may sound foreign to us. As foreign as the world in which we see people accepting forgiveness and giving forgiveness. As foreign as the world in which a person's sins no matter how idolatrous and evil can be forgiven. As foreign as a world in which murderers can become evangelists, immoral people can become disciples and people who practice hatred and bigotry can become people of love, grace and peace.
This is the world that the Apostle Paul says can be ours through the giving of ourselves and the renewing of our minds. For as our minds are being renewed and our thoughts are being transformed we will as a result begin to transform the world around us.
This is the goal of the Great Commission. By making disciples of all people it means that hearts and minds all over the world will be transformed and with every mind and heart transformed so too is the world around them.
In essence the LORD JESUS wants us to spiritual, emotional, mentally and physically terraform God's Good Earth to look, smell and feel like Heaven. That is the part of the prayer we pray when we say the Lord's Prayer:
"Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven"
Many of us have just never realized how radical both the LORD prayer is and how radical the Great Commission is. God not only wanted to save us but to save our world as well. In Christ Jesus a way was made through the forgiveness of sins and the infilling presence of His Holy to total transform life here on earth. To go from a planet enslaved by sin to a planet worshipping the True God and living out lives as God's Image Bearers of holiness, grace and love.
Oh, that's too much. Now, you are being silly. That can never happen. It's impossible.
My friends, nothing is impossible with the LORD. The Red Sea parting? The Sun standing Still? A Virgin having a Child? The eyes of the Blind Opened? Walking on Water? Being Raised from the Dead?
We have yet to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit in the ways that our LORD GOD wants us to. We have yet to realize just how radical the message of Jesus truly is. We have yet to realize that the LORD has given us His Spirit so that we can bring freedom, love and joy to His Good Creation. We have yet to understand that:
+Disciples of Jesus learn to receive forgiveness and give forgiveness.
+Disciples of Jesus learn that they can live above sin and help others learn to live above sin.
+Disciples of Jesus learn that God's Kingdom is already here on earth and His Will can be done here on our earth.
+Disciples of Jesus understand that the life spoken of in the Sermon on the Mount is possible through the infilling transforming power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
+Disciples of Jesus know that all power and authority has been given to Jesus in heaven and on the earth and do their best to live under King Jesus.
For us who have lived in the United States for the past 20, 30, 40 and even 50 years we have watched the powers of evil come in and take over more and more areas of our land. We have watched our nation go from being a nation who once believed in the Commandments of God to a nation who has created laws that tell us that it is legal and even moral to disobey those commandments.
-No longer as a nation do we believe that one man and one woman can successfully live as husband and wife.
-No longer as a nation do we believe that our children can grow up innocent and pure.
- No longer as a nation do we believe that the Church has a vital role in our world.
All of that and even more has come about because we have forgotten what it means to have the mind of Christ. All this has come about because we have failed to believe that the Holy Spirit can truly renew our minds and the minds of others all over the world.
Without the renewing of our minds we will continue to believe that all hope is lost. We may even come to the believe that the LORD in some way wants the world to get worse and worse. That somehow it is God's plan to allow millions and billions of people on this planet to live and die without experiencing the joy and happiness of living a life free from the power and penalty of sin. That somehow it is God's plan for His Good Creation which He came to earth to live, die for and redeem it; for it to continue down the path of chaos, destruction and death.
My friends, all of this is all a lie of Satan.
It has always been God's plan for a man and woman to enjoy the beauty of marriage, of fellowship and union. Actually, it is more natural than it is not according to the Bible. Man and woman were divinely created for one another. They were created to leave, cleave and weave a life together. They were created to enjoy on a human level the oneness of heart, mind and soul that reflects the oneness of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
It has always been God's plan for children to be raised in a spirit of innocence and to retain that innocence and purity. The Bible tells us that plainly in passages like Dt. 6 that we as parents are to instill within our children the virtues of what it means to live a life worthy of the Lord's glory and honor. The Bible tells us that we are to be salt and light for all the world to see. And being salt and light does not mean that we believe that each succeeding generation has to succumb to lives of addiction, immorality and misbehavior.
It has always been God's plan for His Church - His Body to live in such a way that the rest of the world sees our freedom, our joy and our love and are drawn to the LORD JESUS CHRIST so that they too can live a life of freedom, joy and love. There is nothing as infectious as a person filled with the fire of the Holy Spirit. There is nothing as wonderful as seeing someone allowing the LORD to lead them into an abundant life.
Somehow we have gotten the idea that:
+Evil is more powerful than Good
+That some part of evil must continue to exist for good to be good
+That following and living as a Christian means that we must always look and act like we are suffering and in pain. That we are not allowed to enjoy the fruits and joys of this Good Earth that God has given us.
The mere fact that there are Christians who believe such things is even more proof that we need our minds renewed. We need newer and newer experiences with the LORD that enables us enjoy more revelations of God's awesome power and glory.
Far too long we have been like the disciples huddled up in the room afraid of the big bad evil wolf while our Savior has been walking and talking to those around him sharing the Good News of His Resurrection and the Life we can now experience through the Holy Spirit. Far too long we have lived on Friday morning and not on Sunday morning.
Yes, it is true that the Devil and evil are still around. But so what. Colossians 1 and 2 reminds us that in Christ the LORD was reconciling the world back to Him. Colossians 1 and 2 reminds us that on the cross Jesus disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them into open shame. Colossians 1 and 2 reminds us that Jesus died and has made it possible for us to be presented before the Father holy and blameless and above reproach.
And if that wasn't enough in Colossians 3 and 4 Paul again lays out the kind of life that our King Jesus has for us to experience if we will but grab a hold of it.
"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3 (ESV)
Paul goes on to tell us that as Christ renews our hearts, our minds and our lives we put to death evil things. That as Christ renews our hearts and minds we take off things that bring harm, destruction and death. In their place we put on clothes of righteousness.
We become people and communities who have compassionate hearts and radiate with acts of kindness, humility, meekness, patience and forgiveness. We are able to love one another as Christ has loved us. We are able to be people of prayer. We are to be people whose speech is not filled with hate or division but people who speak words of wisdom, of grace and of goodness.
For far too long we have allowed the world to do its best to conform us into its image. An image in which evil wins. An image in which the gods of mammon, the gods of Aphrodite and lust, the gods of Mars of violence and war rule and win. An image where the Church of the Living God is seen as weak and dying.
Such an image does not have to be true. The truth is Jesus Christ won the victory on the Cross. The truth is the Holy Spirit has been unleashed upon our earth. The truth is we live in an age in which demons can be cast out, divine healing can be a reality and where we can be God's conduit for supernatural signs and wonders.
The great stories we read about in the Book of Acts were not to be a history book of what did happen but to be a sounding shofar announcing of what can happen when we allow the LORD to renew our hearts, minds and souls. The great stories we read about in the Book of Acts are to be our template - to see what amazing things can happen when people die out to the LORD and live life as His image bearers, worshipping Him and fulfilling His Great Commission.
This morning as we close - let's take a moment and examine the state of our minds?
+Are we enjoying God's renewing process which leads us to understanding more and more about the LORD and enjoying more and more His forgiveness, mercy and grace?
+Are we allowing the LORD to renew our minds so that we discover more of His Word and enjoy more of His Holy Presence?
+Are we allowing the LORD to renew our minds and bring healing to some of the damage and brokenness that sin has to done to us through the years?
+Are we finding ourselves more open to His revelations and more open to forgiving others?
+Are are finding ourselves and our actions being filled more and more with Good News and less and less about the things of this world?
+Are we finding ourselves being God's conduit for signs and wonders, miracles, healings and restorations?
+Are we finding ourselves becoming God's Change Agents in our homes, our places of work and at school?
This morning, you may be here and as we end in a song the Lord may want you to experience a time of healing, blessing or an anointing. Our altars are open. You may be here and know in your heart that you need the LORD to be Your Savior and LORD. Our altars are open. You may be here and the Lord is saying to you - you need your heart, your mind and your life washed anew with my goodness and righteousness. Our altars are open.
As we sing a closing song let us allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives.
