The right mind-set: Tempted to think right thoughts
We continue in our series on Discovering Your Destiny and for the next few weeks we are going to focus on having the right mind-set. Today our topic is Tempted to think right thoughts.
The verse I want us to consider together this morning is Philippians 2:5,
NIV: Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus
NLT: You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had
NKJV: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus
Greek: t??t? f???e?te ?? ?µ?? ? ?a? ?? ???st? ??s??
(touto phroneite en hymin ho kai en Christo Iesou)
Mindset, mind, attitude are all translations of the Greek verb f???e?te (phroneite).
Verb, 2nd Person, Present Tense, Imperative and Active
The literal translation from the original Greek text sounds a little like Yoda giving instructions to Luke Skywalker in a Star Wars movie: This, let mind be, in, you, which, also, in, Christ, Jesus [was].
Regardless of how the words of the Apostle Paul are translated into modern English, the message remains the same: Disciples of Jesus are to have exactly the same mind-set, the same attitude, that Christ Jesus had.
We are meant to think like Christ.
The problem is we are not perfect in our thoughts or our actions. For a Christian to keep their thoughts and heart in alignment with God’s will and purpose takes real effort. To maintain a godly perspective in a this sin-sick world is difficult but not impossible.
Having the mind of Christ is more than just having a positive attitude, it is being spiritually minded, it is focussing on living as God has called us to live, it is a mind focussed on God, Christ first, us second.
It is not possible for someone who is unsaved to have the mind of Christ, to truly think like Jesus. Because of the effect of the fall, each of us are born with a mind that tends to be focus on three things - Me, myself and I.
From the time of our natural birth, it’s all about us and what we want. As babies, we cry to get attention. As children and teens, we moan and complain to get what we want. As adults, we learn all kinds of techniques to get our way.
Romans 8:6 says “So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Holy Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”
When we are born-again, when we come into a real relationship with God by repenting and accepting Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, then our focus in life changes. The Holy Spirit works within us and our focus is no longer on Me, Myself and I - God is our focus, God is our purpose, God at the centre of all we say and do.
Consider the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17, This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Having the mind of Christ involves abandoning our own will and ego, putting others’ needs ahead of our own, humbling ourselves to serve God even when it means personal sacrifice.
When we come to Christ, we are to think differently and to live differently. Our old sinful, self-centred life has gone, our new life with God at the centre has begun.
Colossians 3:10-11 says, Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us.
For us to have the mind of Christ, we need to acknowledge that Christ is all that really matters. Every aspect of our lives needs to be driven by our relationship with Jesus, our lord, our saviour, our God. Our old sinful nature is gone, we are born-again, we are saved, we are forgiven, we are freed from the penalty of sin because of what Christ has done for us.
We are commanded to know Him, really know Him, and become like Him. We can never truly follow God if we are unwilling to live and think the way He calls us to live and think. It’s all about commitment.
Christ first, living for God, it’s all about perseverance, (there is that word again), endurance, running the race, keeping on keeping on.
We won’t be perfect till He calls us home and takes us to Heaven, then we will truly be transformed and be fully like Christ. But, right now, we are meant to try and be as much like Jesus as we can:
to think like Christ;
to love like Christ;
to have compassion like Christ;
to act like Christ;
to have the attitude of Christ;
to have the humility of Christ;
to have the servant heart of Christ.
Jesus is our perfect example of what it means to be a humble, self-sacrificing, self-denying, servant of Father God. Jesus willingly placed Himself in the humblest of positions: He who was God became a man, fully human, so He could serve others. Jesus has given us the perfect example of how we should live and think as His disciples.
Be honest, how Christlike are your thoughts?
How Christlike are your actions?
How Christlike is your daily life?
Do you have the mind-set, the attitude of Christ in every aspect of your life?
What needs to change?
Are you willing in obedience to God and with the help of the Holy Spirit to make those changes in your life?
If you believe in Jesus, if He is your Lord, your Saviour, your God, then you must live the life He has saved you to live.
Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul in
2 Corinthians chapter 4:1-18, Therefore, since God in His mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God.
We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this. If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you. But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to Himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
Friends, this is our motivation to have the mind-set of Christ.
God’s plan and purpose for us is that we are to have the mind of Christ, to not be tempted by the things of this world that will fade and perish, but to be focussed on the things of God.
We have been brought from darkness to light. Christ loved us, died for us, forgave us, accepted us, justified us, gave us eternal life, made us children of the living God, treated us as worthy of His service and sacrifice, we have been saved and our eternal destiny is secure.
My final question to you is:
Will you ask God to help you have the same mind-set, the same attitude as Jesus?
Having the mind of Christ, having the attitude of Christ is not an optional extra for a disciple of Jesus, it is an essential part of being a Christian.
Having the mind of Christ is not a lifestyle choice it is living the life God has called you to live.
As we come to our time of communion let’s return to Philippians chapter 2 verse 5-11, You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honour and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
