Message from August 28, 2011
As we have already read this morning, the text for this morning’s message is found in 1st Peter 1:13. In this passage, the Apostle Peter was inspired by God to write these words.
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Consider these three questions if you will.
Is your mind prepared for action? As a church family, are our minds prepared for action?
Are you, are we sober in spirit?
And is your hope, is our hope, fixed completely, let me repeat that, fixed completely on the grace to be brought to you (to us) at the revelation of Jesus Christ?
I believe these are three very important questions for us to consider.
It is the first one that we will address this morning; that matter of our minds being prepared for action.
I want to start by looking at a verse of scripture that I believe captures the significance of what the Lord has laid on my heart regarding this matter.
It is found in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthian church, where in chapter 11 verse 3 we read, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”
Make no mistake, whether we acknowledge it or not, there is a battle being waged for our minds. There is a battle being waged against you and I and against all who have been born again. Against all who have believed the witness God has borne concerning His Son Jesus. Against all who have believed that Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures. That He was buried and that He was raised on the third day according to the scriptures.
There is a battle for our mind. In part anyway, this battle is “the action” our minds need to be prepared for. The world, the flesh and the devil have a desire for our minds. What we think about. What our minds are filled with. What our minds dwell on. What our minds are set on.
Individually and together they desire to lead us astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. I believe this is a reference to everything that is “Christian”. The “simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ” is the summation of all that is God’s will for the believer in Christ. It includes walking by faith, Christian love, proclaiming the gospel, growing in Christ and so on.
Recently I found myself considering how it was that the world, the flesh and the devil seemed to work together with an uncanny harmony. Working as well together as any championship sports team. But as I thought about it further I concluded that it wasn’t that they necessarily worked together, they just shared a common opposition to Christ. And it was their common opposition to Christ that brought about this sense of harmony.
And in their opposition to Christ they find their opposition to you and I and their desire to lead us astray from devotion to Him. So this is an important matter to consider and one that we must take notice of.
So, how do we “prepare our minds for action”? As I have already mentioned, I think the first step is to acknowledge God’s admonition to do so and understand its importance. We are given other instructions in scripture for preparing our minds for action.
To be prepared for action our minds need renewing.
In Ephesians 4:22-23 the Apostle Paul wrote these words to the Ephesian believers, “that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,” The flesh is corrupt and being corrupted. It is ongoing. It is not getting better. We need to be renewed in the spirit of our minds.
In Romans 12:2, Paul wrote, “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 minds need renewed “so that we may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” For us, I believe “That which is good and acceptable and perfect” is again the “simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”
We are challenged in this passage of scripture with an unavoidable truth. Transformation, through the renewing of our minds is our antidote or remedy against conformity to the world. If, by the Spirit of God and all that He has provided us, we are not engaged in the process of our minds being renewed, there should be no doubt that the result will be (to differing degrees I suppose) conformity to the world. Conformity of both thought and action.
We must not neglect His precious word. We must not neglect the privilege of prayer. We must not neglect the exercise of the spiritual gifts He has given. We must not harden our hearts against the Spirit’s work in our lives. We must not neglect the gift of Christian fellowship. (Regarding Christian fellowship-I feel compelled to say this: While we are yet unhindered from it, let us not neglect it. In Hebrews 10:25 the author wrote, “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”) If it has been your habit to forsake the assembling together with other believers, endeavor to break that habit and establish a better one.
A favorite passage of scripture of Pastor Jerry’s is 2 Peter 1:3 where we are reminded that God has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness. We can be sure that He has granted to us that which is necessary for the renewing of the mind. And we must avail ourselves to what He has provided.
Earlier I said that there was a battle going on for our minds; for the things we think about. The things our minds are filled with. The things we set our minds to dwell on.
In Philippians 4:8 the Apostle Paul was inspired by God to direct our minds rightly. He wrote, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
He says “whatever is ….” True, Honorable, Right, Pure, Lovely, of good repute (favorable or esteemed), Any excellence, Anything worthy of praise.
As we honestly, prayerfully, and Spirit lead consider “whatever is” (?) I believe the Spirit we will direct us to the better things of God and specifically to Christ. It is God that defines and Christ that exemplifies what is true, what is honorable, what is right, what is pure, what is lovely, what is of good repute (favorable or esteemed), He is what excellence is and there is nothing and no one more worthy of praise than Him.
And so the writer says “dwell on these things”. “Dwell” or keep your attention directed upon Him. In our efforts to help others get their minds off of negative things we often tell them to quit dwelling on them. To stop keeping their attention directed that way. It is the complete opposite here. We want our minds to be focused on Christ. We don’t want them wandering elsewhere. May God help us to daily dwell on the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we acknowledge that there is a battle going on for our minds. As we understand that our enemy, the flesh, the world and the devil, are working in opposition to God’s desire for each one of us to have a simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. As our minds our being renewed by His Spirit, through His word, prayer, fellowship, the exercise of spiritual gifts and all that He has provided for life and godliness. And as we dwell on the things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent and worthy of praise, we will see our minds being prepared for action.
A good indicator of how well our mind is prepared for action is where it is set. In Colossians 3:1-2 we read, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
All who know Christ have been raise up with Him. All who know Him are admonished to “keep seeking the things above”. Again, I don’t think I can overemphasize this; there is a battle for our affections; for our heart and for our minds. For the things we seek after. We must seek the things above and we must do so today and again tomorrow. We must KEEP seeking. And again, the author is inspired to give us the reason we are called to seek the things above. Because it is Christ who is seated there.
Will you acknowledge today that there is a battle going on for your mind and for the mind of your brothers and sisters in Christ? Will you acknowledge that our enemy wishes to lead us astray from “simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ”? Will you acknowledge that we need to prepare our minds for action? Will you pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ in this endeavor? We cannot do it in the energy of the flesh.
But we must and we can, by the Spirit of God and His provisions have our minds prepared for action.
We can, by His power and grace, not be lead astray. We must surrender to the Spirit for the renewal of our minds. We must dwell on the things that are true, the things that are right, the things that are pure, the things that are lovely, the things of good repute, the things that are excellent and the things that are worthy of praise. We must dwell on Christ. And we must get our minds off of the things of earth and keep, day after day, setting them on the things above – where Christ sits at the right hand of God.
