The Mind- Part 2

 The Mind- 2

March 14, 2025

Philippians 4:8-9

8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there isany excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Ephesians 4:23-24

23 and that you be renewed in thespirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

Yesterday, we talked about the mind and what it means to have the mind of Christ. Let us continue on in that vein today and consider how it is possible to change your thinking. Among non-christians, you often hear the complaint that Christians are against everything fun. They accuse Christianity of being a religion of “thou shalt not” rules. In truth, Christianity is a relationship with Jesus in which you strive to please Him by concentrating on the good things. In Philippians 4, we are given a whole list of things that we should think about; things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute and excellent. The promise is that when you dwell on such things, the God of peace will be with you. When you focus your mind on these good and positive things, there is no longer any room for the negative thoughts like worry and depression that used to plague many of us before we came to know Jesus. There is still a temptation to think about these things as long as the Devil is alive and working, but with a little effort and the help of the Holy Spirit, we can redirect our mind to dwell on positive thoughts.

In Ephesians, this process is described as “putting on the new self”. So the process of renewing your mind is one of putting off the old self and putting on the new self. Romans 5-8 describes this in great detail telling us how the old man, Adam, brought sin and death into the world, but that the new Adam, Christ, brought life and redemption into the world. By putting off the old man and putting on the new man, we exchange an old way of live for a new one. Isaiah 61 paints a word picture of this by showing  us how to take off the spirit of heaviness and put on the garment of praiseL

Isaiah 61:3

3 To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

As a practical matter, this verse actually shows us a method of renewing our mind. By actively praising the Lord and singing worship songs, we can literally throw off the spirit of heaviness and put on the garment of praise. That is a great technique to use when the troubles of this world start to get us down and we are tempted to worry and complain. Take some time to listen to some worship music and sing some praise to the Lord, and the spirit of heaviness must flee.

So renew our mind and think on these things… Something to think about as we start a new day.

The Mind

 The Mind

Marsh 13, 2025

Romans 12:2-3 (NASB95) 

2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind ^g3563, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly ^g5252 of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

Philippians 2:5-7 (NKJV)

5 Let this mind ^g5426 be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal withGod, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

Colossians 3:2

2Set your mind ^g5426  on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

What part does your mind play in salvation? Can the way you think help or hinder your walk with Christ? What do you think?

The Apostle Paul has quite a bit to say about your mind. In Romans, he says that your mind must be transformed and renewed. This is part of the process of completely turning your life over to the Lord. As you are to present your body as a living sacrifice, you are also to present your mind to be renewed. In Philippians, he calls this having the mind of Christ. In this passage he is talking about having the humble attitude that Jesus had when he emptied himself to come to earth as a man. In like manner, we need to humble ourselves and leave behind any exalted opinion of ourselves. Back in Romans, Paul speaks of this as not thinking more highly of yourselves than you ought. It is interesting how this is expressed in the Greek. The mind or “to think” is phroneo and “think more highly” is huperphroneo. So basically, Paul is saying not to overthink it! Don’t get hyper! 

But on the other hand , I think that it also important not to under think it. There is a segment of Christianity that thinks that intellectualism is worldly. In many cases this is true, but there is also a place to think deeply about questions of the faith. We don’t want to think more highly of ourselves, but we need to think deeply about the things of God. Paul even says in this passage in Romans that a renewed mind will enable us to prove what the will of God is for. So it important to have a renewed mind so that you can know the mind of God.

In Colossians, Paul gives us some practical advice on how to accomplish this. “Set your mind on things above”. A key method of transforming your mind is to direct your thoughts. What you let your mind dwell on will shape your mind. Focusing on good thoughts will certainly improve your thought life, and in many cases it will physically transform your brain. The neural pathways in the brain are flexible and can be rearrange by the way you think. Therefore, concentrating on heavenly things will actually transform your mind into more of a heavenly organ.

The bottom line is not to be conformed to the world, but to be conformed to heaven. Think godly thoughts and become more godly in your mind. Just like Paul says back in Romans 12:

Anddo not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind ^g3563, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

—- Strongs —-

g3563. νοῦς nous ; contr. of a prim. word νόος noos (mind); mind, understanding, reason:--

g5252. ὑπερφρονέω huperphroneō ; from 5228 and 5426; to be overly proud, to have high thoughts:--think more highly(1).

g5426. φρονέω phroneō ; from 5424; to have understanding, to think:-- Set your mind, attitude, think

Living Sacrifice

 Living Sacrifice

March 12, 2025

Romans 12:1-2

1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritualservice of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Our men’s Bible study has been reading Romans. This week we come to chapter 12. This chapter leads off with an apparent contradiction; “Living Sacrifice”. The primary meaning of “sacrifice” is to kill something, so how do you have “living sacrifice”?

The key is found in the word that follow; “spiritual service of worship”. Service implies time, so you can sacrifice your time. “Killing time” as it were, from giving time to worldly pursuits, to giving that time to service unto the Lord. That is a form of worship. Also there is the phrase “renewing of your mind” which suggests that you can sacrifice thoughts of selfish desires and redirect your thoughts to the will of God. By presenting your bodies as a living sacrifice, you are dedicating your time and thoughts to God’s things which leads to things which are “good and acceptable and perfect”.

Paul calls this whole process a transformation. By not being conformed to the world, but being renewed in service to a holy God, you reckon the old carnal man as dead, a sacrifice, and rise up in new life in Christ. It is a resurrection and transformation which is the miracle of the gospel message. What is impossible with man is possible with God. It is possible, indeed it is required, that you be transformed and renewed so that you can prove the will of God and thus present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice which is acceptable to God.

Rejoice

 Rejoice

March 11, 2025

Philippians 4:4

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

Psalms 40:16

16 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;

Let those who love Your salvation say continually,

“The LORD be magnified!”

“Rejoice” is one of those Biblical words that may not be understood by modern Americans. We tend to think in terms of “Happiness”, which is something altogether different. You are happy when everything is going your way and all is right with the world. We rejoice because God is good and He is our Father. In fact, the Apostle Peter admonishes us to rejoice even when we are distressed by various trials.

1 Peter 1:6

6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,

Even the meaning of the word “Happiness” has evolved over time. In the Declaration of Independence, we find the phrase “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” In this context, in 18th century English, happiness is an economic term. It means to be able to own property and be free to pursue a career to provide for your family. So happiness in this context is more like financial security. In our time, we tend to think of happiness as having all of our desires fulfilled, though in the end, we know, that satisfying all of your selfish desires does not, in fact, bring you true happiness.

Rejoicing in the Lord is something different. It is a type of worship where you are glad that the Lord is good and has given us salvation. The ultimate scene of rejoicing is found in Revelation at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Revelation 19:7-9 - Marriage of the Lamb

7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he *said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he *said to me, “These are true words of God.”

This is a picture of the relationship of Christ and the Church. We are the bride of Christ and rejoice in our relationship with Him. This rejoicing will climax at the marriage supper of the Lamb where we will seal our relationship with Jesus and dwell with Him forever. That is indeed something to rejoice about!

In the meantime, we live in the world and we endure various trials and tribulations. We still should rejoice, even though we are not happy in the moment, but we rejoice that the Lord is good and that He works all things to gather for good for those called according to hHs purpose. (Romans 8:28) Thus it is that Paul urges us to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4). And always means always. rejoice at all times, even when things aren’t going your way. But rejoice in the Lord that He is good and he loves us and one day we will sit with him around the banquet table and celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb. So rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!

Hallelujah!

 Hallelujah 

March 9, 2025

  Psalms 150 (CJB)

1 Halleluyah!

Praise God in his holy place!

Praise him in the heavenly dome of his power!

2 Praise him for his mighty deeds!

Praise him for his surpassing greatness!

3 Praise him with a blast on the shofar!

Praise him with lute and lyre!

4 Praise him with tambourines and dancing!

Praise him with flutes and strings!

5 Praise him with clanging cymbals!

Praise him with loud crashing cymbals!

6 Let everything that has breath praise ADONAI!

Halleluyah!

h1984b. הָלַל halal; a prim. root; to be boastful, to priase:--

h3050. יָהּ Yah; contr. from 3068; the name of the God of Israel:--

Spoken together, these words are Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!

Revelation 19:1-6 - The Fourfold Hallelujah (NASB)

1 After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; 2 BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER.” 3 And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER.” 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” 5 And a voice came from the throne, saying,

“Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” 6 Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying,

“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.

We have been talking about the names of God, but another Hebrew word that has always intrigued me is Hallelujah. I have heard it said that that is one word that is most useful to missionaries because it is understood in almost every language of the world. In English, it can be translated as “Praise the Lord”, but if you shout “Hallelujah” everyone knows what you mean.

I think it is interesting that the book of Psalms ends with the great hallelujah. Every verse in that Psalm begins with Hallelujah, Praise the Lord. It is the summation of all the praise and worship of the Psalms, when all is said and done, the most important thing left is just to say “Hallelujah!”.

The New Testament also wraps up with a fourfold Hallelujah in Revelation 19. This is  brief look into heaven where we see the great multitude of saints and angels surrounding the thrown saying “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!”. It is our highest purpose and ultimate destiny to worship the Lord in heaven. “Hallelujah! For the Lord, our God, the Almighty reigns!”. “Let everything that has breath shout Halleluhjah!”

The Lord is My Shepherd

 The Lord is My Shepherd 

March 7, 2025

Psalms 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd ^h7462a,

I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

h7462a. רָעָה raah; a prim. root; to pasture, tend, graze:--

John 10:11

11 “I am the good shepherd; the goodshepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

As we consider the names of God, we come to Jehovah Raah, The Lord is my Shepherd. This speaks of the care and concern that the Lord has for each of us. The twenty third Psalm expresses this beautifully and thus is one of everyone’s favorites. I’m sure it was one of the first Psalms I memorized in Sunday School as a small child. I remember reciting it often, and we also had a painting of the Good Shepherd on the wall of our Sunday School classroom. This particular copy of that famous religious painting was a memorial to one of my Sunday School teachers who died tragically, trapped in her car in a snow storm one winter. She was a young lady who represented the Lord’s love and concern for me, so her accident was a tragedy in my young life and the image of the Good Shepherd was powerfully etched in my mind.

Jesus applied this name to himself in John 10; “I am the Good Shepherd”. By this, He not only identified identified himself with the Lord God, but also with King David, who wrote Psalm 23 and who represented the kingly shepherds of the nation of Israel. But unlike the kings of old, Jesus was the good shepherd who layed down his life for the sheep. Such powerful love has been shown by no other king or leader. How can we comprehend the love that the Lord has for us that He not only provides for our care and comfort, but actually lays down His life for us so that we can be redeemed and live with Him forever? 

My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Amen