Hallelujah. Praise be to God. I want to talk about a very unpopular topic this morning . It's unpopular because we don't hear about it or meditate on it often . But the Lord laid it on my heart, so I want to share it. We all have to decide how we are going to follow Christ. His call is a call to a life of carrying our cross and following him, otherwise, you cannot be his disciple. We often hear about the blessings of God and deliverance, but we don't hear enough about what the Lord wants our thinking to be like .
This morning, the Lord laid on my heart to talk about Philippians chapter 2, verse 5, where Paul writes, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" . I want you to focus on the word "mind" because it is a tricky thing. The Bible teaches that man is a tripartite being, meaning we have three parts: body, soul, and spirit . The soul is made up of your intellect, will, and emotions . The Lord is telling us that our mind is important because there is a lot of fighting going on inside of it. Our mind is naturally corrupted, which is why it needs to be renewed by the word of God .
Let's look at Philippians chapter 3, verses 18-19, which says, "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you, even weeping, that they are the enemies of the Cross of Christ; whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who mind earthly things" . Paul is writing about people who call themselves Christians, but are enemies of the Cross of Christ because they mind earthly things .
In Matthew chapter 16, Jesus talks to Peter and calls him "Satan" for minding the things of man instead of the things of God . This shows that we can be believers with a revelation from God, but still mind the things of men and not God . The Lord wants us to be spiritually minded, because to be "carnally minded" or "minded according to the flesh is death, but the mind of the spirit is life and peace" .
Colossians chapter 3, verses 1-2, says, "If you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth" . Our minds are captivated by the glitzy things of the world, like new phones, gadgets, and places . The priorities of the church today, including us, are very worldly. We need to be heavenly minded and ask the Lord to transform our minds.
Here are some key points to remember:
The Mind's Corruption: The human mind is a tripartite being made up of the body, soul, and spirit . However, our mind is naturally corrupted and needs to be renewed by the word of God .
Minding Earthly Things: Paul warns that those who "mind earthly things" are enemies of the Cross of Christ, even if they call themselves Christians . Earthly things include power, money, position, and education .
Spiritual vs. Carnal Mind: Jesus rebuked Peter for "minding not the things of God, but the things of men". This is a reminder that we can have a revelation from God and still be carnally minded, which leads to death, while a spiritually minded person has life and peace .
Setting Your Mind Above: We are called to "set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on the Earth". The early church was powerful because their minds were focused on eternal, heavenly things and the purposes of God .
Prayer and Priorities: When we become heavenly-minded, our prayers and priorities will change to align with God's will, seeking true eternal riches instead of worldly distractions .