Sermon Notes ….. “A New MIND”
A New Series on New Life Pastor Chris
Ephesians 4.17-24 April 13, 2014
“Our thoughts move through our mind like a river flowing between its banks. They never end. They rush along in a flood of mental concepts and desires and images that never stops. We are always thinking. It is our very nature. We anticipate, remember, plan, consider, evaluate, reflect, imagine and suppose. We THINK.” Dan Manningham, Eight Stone Gates
Every Christian is locked in a constant, intense war with demonic forces. Many of us become so intent on fighting the external spiritual war that we forget that much of our battle is not with external forces, but with our own mind and thoughts. James 1:14-16 tells us, “but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.”
Sin always begins in the mind. A sinner must first conceive and dwell on the sinful action before he actually carries it out. The first line of defense, therefore, must be to refuse to even contemplate a wrongful action. The Apostle Paul tells us to take every thought captive, so that it conforms to the will of God (2 Cor 10:3-5).
Without Christ . . . A Depraved Mind
Webster says depraved means, “marked by corruption or evil, perverted, crooked.” It’s important that you understand this is an internal disease; you can’t detect it from the outside. Most folks don’t look depraved. Most of us do a masterful job of covering up. But never doubt that underneath, deep down inside, there is this disease that eats away at us and pollutes our thoughts and words (intellect), our relationships (emotions), and our actions (will). Charles Swindoll, Ultimate Book of Illustrations & Quotes
Ephesians 4.17-19 (PAGE 1172)
· Intellectually unproductive (v.17-18)
o “futility of mind” and “darkened understanding”
o incapable of Godly understanding
· Spiritually separated (v.18)
o “excluded from the life of God” b/c of ignorance of God’s truth and of the hardness of their heart
· Morally insensitive (v.18-19) . . . “hard heart” and “callous”
o Result of repetitive behavior
o Become what you practice (1 John 3)
· Behaviorally depraved (v.19) . . . “given themselves over”
o Willing behavior without restraint
Rom. 1.28-32 (PAGE 1126)
Continued disobedience results in . . .
· God gives us over to a depraved mind (v.28) worthy of death (v.32)
Rom. 8.5-8 (ON SCREEN)
5Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
6The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit
is life and peace.
7The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law,
nor can it do so.
8Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
Because of Christ . . . A Renewed Mind
Ephesians 4.20-24 (PAGE 1172)
· You did not learn that behavior from Christ
· Lay aside the old self
· Be renewed in the spirit of your mind
· Put on the new . . . likeness of God, righteousness and truth
The more we surround ourselves with worldly things (people), the more the world will invade our thoughts.
Romans 12.2
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—
his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
With Christ . . . A Tested Mind
· Ps. 139.23-24 He examines “Try me and know my anxious thoughts”
· Jer. 17.10 He tests “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind”
· Ps. 94.11 He knows “The Lord knows the thoughts of men”
Impossible to hide our sin from God.
Every sin we commit, we commit TWICE . . . Once in our THOUGHTS and again when we ACT upon those thoughts.
“Our thinking must be changed (transformed) from old, ungodly ways of thinking to new godly ways of thinking. What we know in our minds to be true forms a conviction in our hearts of that truth, and that conviction in our hearts translates into action.” S. Michael Houdmann, gotquestions.org
A Practiced Mind
Phil. 4.8 Think on these things:
True / Noble / Right / Pure / Lovely / Admirable / Excellent / Praiseworthy
2 Cor. 10.5 Take every thought captive
STARVE SIN of fleshly thoughts / desires
Conform to His will/ bring under submission
Process . . . (1) Thought enters mind
(2) Measure it with God’s Word
(3) Surrender it to the Holy Spirit for guidance
(4) Take action
No shortcuts! No magic formulas! Pastor can’t think for you!
Must fill our minds with God’s Word to combat Satan and Self.
Col. 3.1-2 Set your mind on things above . . . Purposed direction
Phil. 2.3-5 Humility of Mind / Attitude of Christ
Story of the Road to Emmaus
Luke 24.44-48 The presence of the crucified, risen Savior “opened their minds to understand the scriptures.” (v.45)
Upon seeing the risen Savior, the disciples’ hearts and minds transformed from cowardly, confused weaklings to powerful witnesses of the Gospel. Why?
Sermon Notes ….. “A New MIND”
A New Series on New Life Pastor Chris
Ephesians 4.17-24 April 13, 2014
Sin always begins in the mind. A sinner must first conceive and dwell on the sinful action before he actually carries it out. The first line of defense, therefore, must be to refuse to even contemplate a wrongful action. The Apostle Paul tells us to take every thought captive, so that it conforms to the will of God (2 Cor 10:3-5).
Without Christ . . . A D______Mind
Ephesians 4.17-19
· Intellectually u______ (v.17-18)
o “futility of mind” and “darkened understanding”
o I______of Godly understanding
· Spiritually s______(v.18)
o “excluded from the life of God” b/c of i______of God’s truth and of the h______of their heart
· Morally i______(v.18-19) . . . “hard heart” and “callous”
o Result of r______behavior
o Become what you p______(1 John 3)
· Behaviorally d______(v.19) . . . “given themselves over”
o Willing behavior without r______
Rom. 1.28-32
Continued disobedience results in . . .
· God gives us over to a d______mind (v.28)
· worthy of d______(v.32)
Rom. 8.5-8
6The mind governed by the flesh is d______, but the mind governed by the Spirit
is life and peace.
7The mind governed by the flesh is h______to God; it does not s______to God’s law, nor can it do so.
8Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot p______God.
Sermon Notes ….. “A New MIND”
A New Series on New Life Pastor Chris
Ephesians 4.17-24 April 13, 2014
Sin always begins in the mind. A sinner must first conceive and dwell on the sinful action before he actually carries it out. The first line of defense, therefore, must be to refuse to even contemplate a wrongful action. The Apostle Paul tells us to take every thought captive, so that it conforms to the will of God (2 Cor 10:3-5).
Without Christ . . . A D______Mind
Ephesians 4.17-19
· Intellectually u______ (v.17-18)
o “futility of mind” and “darkened understanding”
o I______of Godly understanding
· Spiritually s______(v.18)
o “excluded from the life of God” b/c of i______of God’s truth and of the h______of their heart
· Morally i______(v.18-19) . . . “hard heart” and “callous”
o Result of r______behavior
o Become what you p______(1 John 3)
· Behaviorally d______(v.19) . . . “given themselves over”
o Willing behavior without r______
Rom. 1.28-32
Continued disobedience results in . . .
· God gives us over to a d______mind (v.28)
· worthy of d______(v.32)
Rom. 8.5-8
6The mind governed by the flesh is d______, but the mind governed by the Spirit
is life and peace.
7The mind governed by the flesh is h______to God; it does not s______to God’s law, nor can it do so.
8Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot p______God.
Because of Christ . . . A R______Mind
Ephesians 4.20-24 You did not learn that behavior from Christ!
The more we surround ourselves with worldly things (people), the more the world will invade our thoughts.
Romans 12.2 “Do not c______to the pattern of this world, but be t______by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is”
With Christ . . . A T______Mind
· Ps. 139.23-24 He examines “Try me and know my anxious thoughts”
· Jer. 17.10 He tests “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind”
· Ps. 94.11 He knows “The Lord knows the thoughts of men”
“Our thinking must be changed (transformed) from old, ungodly ways of thinking to new godly ways of thinking. What we know in our minds to be true forms a c______in our hearts of that truth, and that conviction in our hearts translates into a______.” S. Michael Houdmann, gotquestions.org
A P______Mind
Phil. 4.8 Think on these things: True / Noble / Right / Pure / Lovely
Admirable / Excellent / Praiseworthy
2 Cor. 10.5 Take every thought captive
· STARVE SIN of fleshly thoughts / desires
· Conform to His will / bring under submission
Process . . . (1) Thought enters mind
(2) Measure it with God’s Word
(3) Surrender it to the Holy Spirit for guidance
(4) Take action
No shortcuts! No magic formulas! Nobody can think for you!
Must fill our minds with God’s Word to combat Satan and Self.
Col. 3.1-2 Set your mind on things a______
Phil. 2.3-5 Humility of Mind / Attitude of Christ
Because of Christ . . . A R______Mind
Ephesians 4.20-24 You did not learn that behavior from Christ!
The more we surround ourselves with worldly things (people), the more the world will invade our thoughts.
Romans 12.2 “Do not c______to the pattern of this world, but be t______by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is”
With Christ . . . A T______Mind
· Ps. 139.23-24 He examines “Try me and know my anxious thoughts”
· Jer. 17.10 He tests “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind”
· Ps. 94.11 He knows “The Lord knows the thoughts of men”
“Our thinking must be changed (transformed) from old, ungodly ways of thinking to new godly ways of thinking. What we know in our minds to be true forms a c______in our hearts of that truth, and that conviction in our hearts translates into a______.” S. Michael Houdmann, gotquestions.org
A P______Mind
Phil. 4.8 Think on these things: True / Noble / Right / Pure / Lovely
Admirable / Excellent / Praiseworthy
2 Cor. 10.5 Take every thought captive
· STARVE SIN of fleshly thoughts / desires
· Conform to His will / bring under submission
Process . . . (1) Thought enters mind
(2) Measure it with God’s Word
(3) Surrender it to the Holy Spirit for guidance
(4) Take action
No shortcuts! No magic formulas! Nobody can think for you!
Must fill our minds with God’s Word to combat Satan and Self.
Col. 3.1-2 Set your mind on things a______
Phil. 2.3-5 Humility of Mind / Attitude of Christ