Renewing your mind

Richard Chamberlain

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http://rdcltci.wordpress.com

Monday 10 January 2011

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Transformation

A little context



I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2


I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.


And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him,"What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live."

Luke 10:25-28


And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him,"What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live."


Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 16:13-23


Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.


And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.


From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."


From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."

God is not nice!


For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9


For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.


The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him.

A. W. Tozer


Renewing your mind


The dangerous

alternatives to a

renewed mind


1) A Debased Mind

"And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased (depraved - NIV) mind, to do those things which are not fitting."

(Romans 1:28)


The Message ...rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing...envy, wanton killing, bickering, and cheating....mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, swaggerers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way. Stupid, slimy, cruel, cold-blooded.


2) A Blinded Mind

"Whose mind the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them."

(2 Cor 4:4)


3) A Futile Mind

"You should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind."

(Eph. 4:17)


4) A Hostile Mind

"7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so."

(Romans 8:7 NIV)


5) A Double Mind

"Let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

(James 1:5 - 8)



6) A Feeble Mind

"Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted (lit: feeble-minded), uphold the weak, be patient with all."

(1 Thess 5:14)


Why we need a Renewed Mind


1) The Key To Transformation

Romans 12: 1 - 2

Php 4:13

2 Cor. 5:17


2) Important in Spiritual Warfare

2 Corinthians 10:4 - 5

3) Necessary for Faith

James 1:5 - 6


4) For Ongoing Spiritual Development

Ephesians 4:17 - 24

5) To Know the Will of God

Romans 12:2


6) For A Proper Knowledge Of Self

Romans 12:3

7) Inward Peace And Stability

Philippians 4:6


How can our Minds be Renewed?


Die - a Living Sacrifice

Lk 9:23...he said to all,

"If anyone would come

after me, let him deny

himself and take up his

cross daily and follow me.

Lk 9:57-62

1. Choices


Habits - what do you do?- do you think about things?- do you ask questions?- do you ‘sharpen’ men of God


Habits - what do you do?- do you think about things?- do you ask questions?- do you ‘sharpen’ men of God

The things that

captivate our hearts

will dominate our

thoughts, and our

thoughts will

dominate our lives.

Matt 6:21


Routines - when do you pray, read, meditate, talk...?Php 4:8...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. - do you think about the right things?


Ask - Luke 11:9ff

Filled - Eph 5:18

Fruit - Gal

5:22-23

2. Holy Spirit


Walk - Holy Spirit Leads you... - to Jesus - where is your focus - ministry or Master?- in God’s paths - Jesus in the wilderness, Philip to the desert road, Paul to Macedonia, Gal 5:16, 18


Dangers in our fellowship with the Holy

Spirit

Remember -The Holy Spirit is a Person


Eph 4:30…And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption

How can we can grieve him?


Eph 4:31…Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice...


Acts 5:3,4…Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?


…Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.”


1Thess 5:19

Do not put out the Spirit’s fire


1Thess 5:20

…do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good


Acts 7:51

You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!


Heb 10:29…Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot


Heb 10:29…who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?


“The Spirit of God acts with considerable disturbing effect. It is part of his nature to do so.”

Donald Guthrie, NT Theology


“The work of the Holy Spirit is to manifest the active presence of God in the world, and especially in the church”

Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology


Heb 4:12, Gen 1, Isa

55:8ff

Read - when, where,

how much?

Memorise - Ps 119:11,

Prov. 10:14, 18:15

3. Scripture


Study - complacency is a real danger in ministry, have you stopped studying - do you wait on God?Application - James 1: 22ff doers of the word / Matt 7:24ff wise & foolish builders

“Never, never, never,

never give up”Monday 10 January 2011

“There is only one thing that keeps most churches from prospering spiritually. They have yet to find God.”

Francis Frangipane
