Phil. 2:5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”
Introduction: The other day while sitting at the computer I was sent an email from Dr. Ervin Smith, fellow pastor and professor of Ethics at the Methodist Theological Seminary, Methesdo, in Delaware, Ohio. It actually was powerpoint presentation that was so moving until I have decided to include it in the electronic newsletter we sent send out from the church each week. The presentation was entitled “An Interview with God” and was filled with a powerful message and accompany audio and visual reinforcements. As I found myself watching the presentation time and time again, I could not help but wonder what would God say or do to us if we stopped long enough to interview him. I am sure that there are any number of items that he would put on our mind and in our spirits. But somehow I think God was say to us that we are need of a change. What kind of change you ask? A change in our spiritual anatomy. Perhaps by now you have seen the latest movie starring that screen star who makes women swoon, Denzel Washington, in the picture John Q. In addition to the movie making a tear jerking statement about parenthood and the willingness of a father to sacrafice himself for his son, the movie revolved around the son’s need for a new heart. The one that he had was enlarged and not functioning properly. Let me suggest to you today that its not only John Q Archibald’s son that needs a new heart. Many of us seated in these pews, here in church today, need a new heart.
I would like for you to ponder this question as we look at this text in an unfamiliar way. What if, for one day, Jesus were to become you?
What if, for twenty-four hours, Jesus wakes up in your bed, walks in your shoes, lives in your house, assumes your schedule? Your boss becomes his boss, your mother becomes his mother, your pains become his pains? With one exception, nothing about your life changes. Your health doesn’t change. Your circumstances don’t change. Your schedule isn’t altered. Your problems aren’t solved. Only one change occurs.
What, if for one day, and one night; Jesus lives your life with his heart? Your heart gets a day off, and your life is led by the heart of Christ. His priorities govern your actions. His passions drive your decisions. His love directs your behavior.
My brothers and sisters! What would you be like? Would people notice a change? Your family, would they see something new? Your coworkers, would they sense a difference? What, about the less fortunate? Would you treat them the same? And your friends, would they detect more joy? How about your enemies, would they receive more mercy form Christ’s heart than from yours?
And you? How would you feel? What alterations would this transplant have on your stress level? Your mood swings; Your temper; Would you sleep better? Would you see sunsets differently? Would you see Death & Taxes Differently? Any chance you’d need a fewer aspirins or sedatives? How about your reaction to traffic delays, early in the morning, headed to work, while traveling down interstate 70 or 71, towards to Columbus. (Ouch) Would you still dread what you are dreading? Better yet, would you still do what you are doing?
Would you still do what you had planned to do for the next twenty-four hours? Pause and think about your schedule; Obligations; Engagements; Outings and Appointments. With Jesus taking over your heart, would anything change?
I want you to think about the questions that’s before you this morning and as the prolific and profound writer MAX LUCADO would say, "adjust the lens of your imagination until you have a clear picture of Jesus leading your life, then snap the shutter and frame the image". What you see is what God wants. He wants you to "think and act like Christ Jesus"
You must understand that God’s plan for us in nothing short than a new heart. Think about this. If you were car, God would want control of your engine. If you were a computer, God would claim the software and the hard drive. If you were an airplane; he’d take his seat in the cockpit. But, my brothers and sisters, we are a people, so God wants to change our hearts.
Paul teaches us over in Eph 4:23-24 (NLT); 23 Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. 24You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness--righteous, holy, and true.
In essence what Paul is saying that we must be made new in our hearts, to become a new person. The (KJV) says, And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. God wants us to be just like Jesus. He wants you and I heave a heart like his.
I love to read and one of my favorite authors is MAX LUCADO, he Pastors Oak Hills Church of Christ in San Antonio, in his book Just Like Jesus, he said if a sentence or two could capture God’s desire for each of us, it might go like this:
God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus. "Thought provoking isn’t it"?
Church, God loves you just the way you are. If you think his love for you would be stronger if your faith were, you are sadly mistaken. If you think his love would be deeper if your thoughts were, you are wrong. Don’t confuse God’s love with the love of your family members, with the love of your friends, with the love of your co-workers, even with the love of the person sitting next to you. Don’t confuse God’s love with the love of people. For you must understand, the love of people often increases with performances and decreases with mistakes. (I know I’m Right About It).
Not so, with the Love of God. He loves you and I right where we are. One expositor puts it like this:
God’s love never ceases. Never, though we spurn him (which is to say we reject, ignore, despise, disobey or push him away) He will not change. Our evil cannot diminish his love. Our goodness cannot increase it. Out faith does not earn it anymore than our stupidity jeopardizes it. God doesn’t love us less if we fail or more if we succeed. God’s love never ceases.
God loves you just the way you are, but he refuses to leave you that away!
Let me see if I can lay it at your spiritual feet in order that you may understand what I’m saying this morning. Do you mind, if I pull a window, and ask that you take your mind back down memory lane? Do you remember when you son or daughter was small, and you took them to the park to play in the sandbox. The ice-cream truck came by and you purchased them an ice-cream cone, and as you turn to give it to them, they had a mouth full of dirt, where you intended to put the ice-cream cone.
Did you love them with the dirt in their mouth? Absolutely, was your son or daughter any less your child with the dirt in their mouth? Of course not,were you going to let them keep the dirt in their mouth. No way, you loved them right where they were, but you refused to leave them that way. I’m sure you washed and or wiped the dirt from their mouth. Why? Because you love them.
My brothers and sisters, God does the same for us. He holds us over the fountain. In essence, He’s saying; "Spit out the dirt, honey," our Father urges. "I’ve got something better for you." And so, he cleanses us of filth: immorality, dishonestly, prejudice, bitterness, and greed. And I know we don’t all enjoy cleansing; sometimes we even opt for the dirt over the ice cream. "Some say I can eat dirt if I want!" we pout and proclaim. And for the most part it’s true.we can. But, if we do, the loss is ours. God has a better offer for our lives. He wants us to be just like Jesus.
Isn’t that good news? You must understand, that you aren’t stuck with today’s personality. You are not condemned to "grumpydom." There is phrase that we use in the US Army, we usually tell the Junior Non-Commissioned Officer’s and the lower enlisted; we say that you are "tweak able". Even if you’ve worried each day of your life, you need not worry the rest of your life. So what if you were born a bigot? You don’t have to die one. (Are you praying with me)?
It’s funny how I listen to Christians say all the time honey you can’t change him or her or I can’t change, where did we get that idea we can’t change. From whence come statements such as, "It’s just my nature to worry," or, I’ll always be pessimistic. I’m just that away,’ or, I have a bad temper. I can’t the way I react"? Who says? The devil is a liar! Would we make similar statements about our bodies? It’s just my nature to have a broken leg. I can’t do anything about it." Of course not, if our bodies malfunction, we seek help. Shouldn’t we do the same with our hearts? Should we seek aid for our sour attitudes? Can’t we request treatment for our selfish motives?
You must understand that the heart of Jesus was pure. Our Savior was
adored by thousands, yet content to live s simple life. Luke 8:1-3 tells us, He was cared for by women, yet never accused of lustful thoughts; scorned by his own creation, but willing to forgive them.before they even requestedhis mercy. You remembered Peter don’t you? Peter, who traveled with Jesus for three and half years, described him as a "lamb, unblemished and spotless" (1 Pet 1:19) After spending the same amount of time with Jesus, John concluded, "And in him is no sin".
My Jesus’ heart was peaceful. The disciples fretted over the need to feed the thousands, but not.my Jesus. He thanked God.for the problem. The disciples shouted for fear in the storm, but not Jesus. He slept through it. Brother Peter drew his sword to fight the soldiers, but not Jesus. He lifted his hand to heal. His heart was at peace and when his disciples abandoned him, did he pout and go home? When Peter denied him, did Jesus lose his temper? When the
soldiers spit in his face, did he breathe fire in theirs?
My Jesus was at peace. He forgave them. He refused to be guided by vengeance. He refused to be guided by anything.other than the high call. Jesus had a purpose. He had one goal.and that was to save humanity from its sins. Luke says, "The Son of man came to seek and save the lost. Jesus was so focused on his task that he knew when to say, "My time has not yet come" (John2:4) and when to say, "It is finished" (John19:30).
Jesus was not so focused that he was unpleasant. He always had pleasant thoughts! Do you? As we go through life, are we so focused with our goals, that we become unpleasant? Jesus was always in contact with the Father. His thoughts reflected his intimate relationship with the Father. Can I prove it? John 14:11 says, "I am in the Father and the Father is in me." The he said the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me. He was led by the Spirit, and full of the Holy Spirit. Are you? Then He returned for the desert "in the power" of
the Spirit. Jesus took his instructions from God. Luke 4:4 says, Jesus "often slipped away to be alone so he could pray". When was the last time you slipped away? Is prayer guiding your life? My brothers and sisters, you must understand that you can’t do nothing alone.
As I close, less I worry you too long. Our hearts seem so far from his. He is pure; we are greedy. He is peaceful; we are hassled. He is purposeful; we are distracted. He is pleasant; we are cranky. He is spiritual; we are earth bound. The distance between or hearts and his seems so immense. How can we ever hope to have the heart of Jesus? I’ll tell you, ready for a surprise, you already do. You already have the heart if Christ. If you are in Christ, you already have the heart of Christ. If you have given your life to Jesus, Jesus has given himself to you. Isn’t that good news! Paul tells us that Christ lives in me. (Gal 2:20)
Well someone is asking the question, Preacher, if I have the mind of Jesus, why do I still think so much like me? If I have the heart of Christ, why do I still have the hang-ups? If Jesus.dwells within me, why do I still hate traffic jams?
Well, part of the answer is illustrated in a story about a lady who had small house on the seashore of Ireland at the turn of the century. She was quite wealthy but also quite frugal. The people were surprised, then, when she decided to be among the first to have electricity in her home.
Several weeks after the installation, a meter reader appeared at her door. He asked if her electricity was working well, and she assured him, it was. I’m wondering if you can explain something to me, "he said". "Your meter shows scarcely any usage. Are you using your power?
"Certainly," she answered. "Each evening when the sun sets, I turn on my lights just long enough to light my candles; then I turn them off."
For you must understand that the old lady tapped into the power, but doesn’t use it. Her house is connected but not altered. I stopped by to ask you a question? Don’t we make the same mistake? We, too, with our souls saved, but our hearts unchanged. Are you connected, but not altered? Trusting Christ for salvation, but resisting transformation. We occasionally flip the switch, but most of the time, we settle in the shadows.
What would happen if we left the light on? What would happen if we only flipped the switch, but lived in the light? You need to turn the light on in your heart and fix you eyes on Jesus. My brothers and sisters, once you confess him as Lord and Savior, you are a new creature in Christ. Paul tell us over in Col 3:10-13 (NLT).A heart Like Jesus means Living the New Life:
In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you. 11In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, [12] circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, [13] slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
Robert Lowery pinned the words:
What can wash away my sin? Nothing, but the blood of Jesus; What can
make me whole again? Nothing, but the blood of Jesus; Oh! Precious is the flow.That makes me white as snow; No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Back to Denzel, My son AC, after seeing the movie said to me “That’s how a dad is suppose to be”. There was not a dry eye in the entire theatre when Denzel got ready to lay down his life for his son that he loved so much. And when you think about it, isn’t that what God did for us. Our hearts were so bad until we needed a heart transplant. The problem was our HMO, insurance and medical coverage was not good enough to cover the cost of the procedure. So what did God do, he wrapped himself up in flesh and came as Jesus and laid down his life so that each and every one of here today could have a heart transplant. In the final scene, Denzel’s son stands in the street and as Denzel looks back one final time his son says thank-you. Today we ought to be saying thank you with our praise, thank you with our worship, thank you with our songs, thank you with our fellowship, thank you for waking me up this morning, etc.
