I want to  spend one more week looking at the mind and what that means for us.

What we have learned so far.

  1. Society has pushed out the thoughts of God
    1. Because of this, we have no focus on what is right and wrong.
    2. God will come in justice to right the wrongs
  2. We have powerful weapons to control our thought lives
  3. We need to take authority over our thoughts
  4. When we walk in obedience, we are able to destroy strongholds over a community.
  5. We must contend in our battle for the mind.
    1. God has given us victory, but the enemy is going to resist every step.
  1. Contending in our battle
  1. Colossians 1: 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
  2. Our authority is for building up not tearing down.
    1. 2 Corinthians 10: 8 authority is for building up, not tearing down.
    2. Those that want to see everything burn are not waling with the mind of Christ.
    3. YET- Dietrich Bonhoeffer prayed for the destruction of his government and worked for that cause.
  3. Changing thought patterns in our mind
    1. The thing we try to control will eventually control us
      1. Drinking
      2. Pornography
    2. What we used to control, now controls us.
    3. We can form addictions where our body desperately needs these addictions.
    4. Look at this thought of pornography for a moment
      1. God’s intent in creation was satisfaction was with spouse
      2. It doesn’t take long and every type of sexual sin is all over Genesis
      3. Must deal with these lusts in order to enjoy life
        1. Answer is not being married
        2. Answer for greed is not just more money
      4. Changing the thought patters can almost be like going through withdrawals.  This is why it is so hard to conqueror some of these areas.
  4. Having the mind of Christ.
    1. Romans 12: 1, 2 emphasizes the renewing of our minds
    2. Purpose behind this renewing is that God is over all and everything He does is for His glory (Romans 11: 36)
      1. Context is God giving his grace to Gentiles because of the Jewish rejection of the Messiah
      2. He is also going to reveal Himself to the Jewish nation and they re going to return to their Messiah. (Romans 11: 26, 27)
      3. We are renewing our minds so we can line up with God’s plan of restoration.
      4. BUT We can never totally understand the mind of Christ. (Romans 11: 33 – 35)
      5. Don’t think of yourself more than you really re because none of us totally see Christ completely (Romans 12: 5, 6)
      6. We all see Christ through a burnished mirror and only have a small revelation of what is happening. (1 Corinthians 13: 12, 12)
      7. In tearing down strongholds in order to see God’s kingdom advanced, we are going to get it wrong and frustration will come in.
        1. Paul and his thorn in the flesh.  God’s grace is sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12: 8, 9)

2. History and Contending.

  1. William Wilberforce 1787 became an abolitionist and fought for 20 years in Parliament until slavery was outlawed.  he died three days after the passing of this bill.
  2. God using Godless to advance His kingdom. about 80 years of a life
    1. Henry VIII- perverted psychopath who murdered those around him at his whim.
      1. In order to get married to Anne Boleyn he broke away from the catholic church and started the Anglican Church where he was the head.
      2. In this new freedom William Tyndale started to translate the Bible into the English language.
      3. Henry the VIII did not like this and after years, he ordered Tyndale executed by being burned at the stake.  His last prayer was that God would open the eyes of the king.
      4. In the battle against Catholicism, two years later the king ordered the Great Bible to be translated so people could read it. (To destroy the power of the monasteries and get their money)
      5. Before he died, he was afraid for his soul so he wanted to be a Catholic again, but the cat was out of the bag.
    2. Henry’s daughter took he throne and was Mary Queen of Scotts (Bloody Mary) killing all protestants Henry Knox stood in front of her and many times she cried in his presence. Each time he walked out of her presence and started a move of God in Scotland.
    3. Queen Elizabeth took he throne because of the uprising over the murders and fought against Catholicism.  (Battle of the Spanish Armada)
    4. John Knox is building a group of people who do not necessarily like the organized church in England anymore than they liked the Catholic Church.  Spurred on by what Luther is doing, they start a group called the Puritans
    5. James takes the throne and feels threatened by the presbytery order of the Church trying to take over the throne order a new bible written without notes that encouraged rebellion (The Great Bible his grandfather had written.) This was known as the King James bible.
    6. One last thing.  A group of Puritans took this bible and started to live it out as anti government people later having to run for their lives to a new land.Pilgrims.
    7. We never know what God is doing in the lives of others and through others.
    8. Paul stated that he wanted to be relieved of what was going on and God was working something far greater.

3. Tearing down our strongholds

  1. 2 Corinthians 8; 9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
  2. Greenhouse of the mind where thoughts can grow.
  3. A renewed mind knows who we are in Christ Jesus.
    1. I have no time for anxious thoughts
    2. I am too rich to be envious about other people’s stuff
    3. I am too rich to be jealous about what other people are being honored for.
    4. They are pennies compared to the riches of who I am in Christ Jesus.
  4. Paul stated that we are grafted into the kingdom of God.  God fills everything i everyday.  Renew your minds and be filled with the knowledge of who Christ is.
  5. God will keep Him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on him Isaiah 26: 3 (perfect peace is shalom, shalom)
    1. New thought paths need to be created in our lives.
    2. Carve a new thought process in our lives
      1. Fix eyes on Jesus author and creator of our faith Hebrews 12: 2
      2. Mind on things above Colossians 3: 2
  6. When things still are not working out, trust that his grace is sufficient for us.