A MInd Set on the Cross

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Hebrews 12:1-2

Introduce yourself.
Its been 5 months since the last time I had the opportunity to preach here at Wayne st.
I want to take this chance to thank you for your prayers and support for our church.
The first Sunday in Sept, we will be celebrating our one year anniversary down at Richland HS! Thank you for your support and thank you to those of you that joined us to help launch us and have since returned.
The Lord is pushing us in a fresh direction for year 2 as a church and I believe the work is just beginning. We are about to see the Lord do something new in Northern Giles county.
So, please remember us in your prayers!
This morning, I would like to share a challenge with you that I have been presenting to our congregation for a couple of months.
Its been pretty clear to me in my life and from a number of scriptures that the mind in the battle ground. The mind is where warfare is raging. The mind is front lines for the battle between the flesh and the Spirit.
The mind is where fear and anxiety cripples me. The mind is where insecurities and doubt hinder my steps.
I know that the battle for who I am and how I see myself are held in my mind.
Selfishness and pride are often in charge of my thoughts in my mind. Thinking about the next time I get to have this or that thing. Making sure my needs are met.
Scripture is full of commands and helpful passages about the mind and setting our mind on God or good things!
For example:
Colossians 3:1–2 ESV
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Romans 8:5–6 ESV
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)
You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.
Philippians 4:8–9 ESV
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Or how about our main verse today Hebrews 12:1-2
Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Now, I don’t know about you guys but I have read and hear these passages for a long time in my life and it is still a battle for me. Maybe you can read these passages and you got it!
But for me, I feel like this is a daily battle. I feel like this is where the enemy steals and kills my joy. This is where pride and selfishness stir me to make stupid decisions that help me but hurt others.
I’m 38 years old and I still surprise myself with the depth of selfishness that I am capable in my thoughts and actions.
And the battle field is in our minds.
So, for months, my challenge in my life and in the life of our church has been

DO ALL THAT YOU CAN TO THINK ABOUT GOD.

I’m talking about do all that you can to make thoughts about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit rule your thoughts.
Put disciplines in your life to help you do that!
Stop doing things that stop you from thinking about Him.
Start your day on your knees and in His Word.
Look can we be honest, the more time we spend thinking about Him is the less time that we spend thinking about ourselves, and I think that we can all agree that we all need to do less of that!
Do. Everything. You. Can. to think about God as often as possible!
You may be thinking, that should too simple or too simplistic. Like you can’t just think about God like all day. That’s not enough. I’m not sure I can do that.
Look, when I say to think about God, it can be a bit overwhelming. I mean, He is infinite and we are not. He is so vast, who can understand Him.
To say, think about God, you can find this feeling of being a bit lost on what or how to do that exactly or practically.
My suggestion and what I have been walking our people through is starting this journey of knowing God.
It is a pursuit of knowing who God is in detail.
Its a process of picking a topic about God or an attribute of who He is and studying that.
Its taking a week to look up verses or examples of God’s abounding, steadfast love for you, its taking the week to praise Him or thank Him for His love, its not seeking to understand His love intellectually but experientially. Its not just stopping to gain head knowledge but to meditate on His love for you and allowing yourself to be filled with it.
Its much easier to do that then to think of God as a whole.
The fact is God’s love is infinite and uncomprehending overall. And a week, is not enough time to thinking about His love… But we have to start somewhere!
So, this week, my challenge to you is to do all that you can to think about the crucifixion of Jesus.
You say, geez.. that took a turn...
Look, I’m not talking about thinking about the brutality or gore of the cross. However, I do believe that more time needs to be focused on that because the depth of horidness reflects the depth of love shown to us.
Just focus on the thought that the cross of Jesus is central to all of history. How the cross is central to the Bible and all of human history is either looking towards the cross or back at the cross.
How the cross is where the grace of God was spilled out on humanity.
For starters, look at Hebrews 12:1-2
Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Now, as you do this, don’t separate historical Jesus and the Jesus that you have a relationship with. Bring Him into this thoughts. You’re not studying history, you are studying a person who is with you, indwelling you, guiding you.
But I believe this verse is asking us to look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.
You can stop there is you want to. There is so much that you can realize, thank Him for, praise Him for with the 2 words founder and perfecter.
But we are going to push ahead.
It says for the joy set before Him endured the cross.
We like to think about Jesus in the garden struggling and suffering to submit Himself to His Father’s will to go to the cross. But we can not think about that only.
Jesus joyfully endured the cross. Why? Because He knew that you needed Him to. He knew that you would be set free. He knew that everyone that the Father brings to Him, He would bring into eternity. He knew that you would find salvation in His death on the cross.
The second part of that, I have never looked at before it says, despising the shame.
Despising means to look down of or show contempt.
Contempt means to disregard something that should be taken into account.
Jesus looked at the shame of the cross with disregard that it should even be a factor for Him. Showed contempt for it… brushed it all.
Why? Because you were worth it. Because His actions on the cross are the foundations of your faith. Its the basis that we base our faith and lives off of.
Jesus looked at the cross and said, I’m about to change history, I’m about to provide a path for mankind to come to my Father, I’m about to do something all of human history revolves around.
He knew that His action on the cross was going to be the basis of our faith.
And He did it joyfully and disregarded the shame. It worth it. You are worth it to Him.
Would you take this challenge to focus on the cross this week? Would you as often as you can think about what Jesus accomplished on the cross? Would you try to understand the depth of love that brought Him there? I’m telling you this, you could spend a lifetime just thinking about the topic of the cross.
Would you lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and run this race with endurance?
You may feel like you are surrounded by things in this world that are against you but you are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses from the past, encouraging you to run strong. To look to Jesus.
If you were to take this week or longer and focus on the cross, there are a number of things it is going to do for you.

THE CROSS REMINDS US WHAT WE DESERVE.

In this life, I think all too often of what I think I deserve. Vacation, a promotion, a raise. But thinking about the cross will remind us that we deserve death and eternal separation from God. Its humbling to think about the cross and how that was my place that He took.
The cross reminds us that every good thing that we have isn’t because we deserve it but because every good and perfect thing come down from our heavenly Father.

THE CROSS REMINDED US OF HOW LOVED WE ARE.

John 15:13 ESV
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Romans 5:8 ESV
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
In fact, we would not even know what love is if He had not loved us first!

THE CROSS WILL REMIND US OF WHO WE ARE IN HIM.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
John 1:12 ESV
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
The power of the cross can completely transform you and how you see yourself. There is so much power there.
1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
The word of the cross is the power of God!

THE CROSS REMINDS US TO WALK IN GRATITUDE AND OBEDIENCE.

Pastor Ellis sent out a great reminder this week to just stop and say thank you for the cross. To stop and so thank you for suffering for me. Thank you for taking the beating for me. Thank you for dying my death.
When was the last time, other than Good Friday that you stopped and thanked Jesus for the cross?
The cross should also spur us towards obedience. Not that we can attempt to be worthy of His death or sacrifice. Not that we can earn more of His love or favor.
But Pastor Eric talked a little while back about the Law of Love that God step up in this world and in nature. This law is a a law of giving. We see the depth of God’s love fro us by giving His Son to death even death on a cross. This should stir up in us the response to give of ourselves to Him. To love Him so much to be willing to lay down our lives in response to Him.
Jesus gave it all, all to Him I owe!
To focus on the cross, should stir up in us a heart of thanksgiving and obedience.

THE CROSS REMINDS US THAT OTHERS NEED THE CROSS TOO.

The more we focus on, understand, are changed by the cross of Jesus, we will realize that this is the greatest story and greatest gift ever.
As we grow in our appreciation of the cross and what its done in our lives, we can’t help but see what it can do for others around us.
When we walk in the great love of Jesus demonstrated on the cross, it will spill over on those around us and we won’t be able to keep it in. Not that we will want to.
But the cross of Jesus is the good news. It will remind us that others need to come to Jesus.
So, the POW!
Do everything that you can to think about the cross of Jesus.
Cast of things that distract you. Put disciplines in your life to help focus on it.
Do everything that you can to think about the cross of Jesus this week.
As the band is coming us,
Ephesians chapter 6 talks about the armor of God.
I’m a visual learner. Anyone else?
Candace and I have spent a good amount of time talking about the armor of God.
I have to visualize it though. I have to picture the belt. The shield. The sword.
The one that was hard for me to visualize though was the helmet of salvation.
Now, I know that its not historically correct but the visual the Lord has always given me is the mid-evil knight with the helmet that looks like this, a bucket. One of the knights wears one in Braveheart.
This is the visual that the Lord has given me for the helmet of salvation. Salvation comes through Jesus Christ on the cross.
This is what I think a mind set on the cross will look like.
A mindset on the cross will make everything look, sound, smell and speak differently.
The eyes. Things we look at. and the way we look at others.
The ears. Things we listen to. The lies of the enemy should be filtered through truth of the cross.
The mouth. the things that we digest and allow in our minds and bodies, should be filtered through the cross. The things that we say about ourselves and about others should be filtered though the cross.
May the words of my mouth be pleasing to you.
The helmet of salvation or the mind set on the cross of Jesus should affect and protect our thoughts, our actions, our words, what we look at, what we listen to.
Would you take this POW seriously and do everything that you can to think about the cross of Jesus this week?
Pray
I want you to know that when I say that the battle field is the mind, i’m not contradicting our Pastor when he says that the battle field is prayer.
Because the more time that I spend thinking about God, thanking God, praising God for who He is, meditating on Him. You know what i’m doing?
Praying without ceasing. I am abiding with Him. So, praying without ceasing in our minds is the battle field.
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