Love the Lord Your God With All Your Mind
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· 31 viewsContinuing in an examination of the Greatest Commandment, we learn what it means to love God with all our mind.
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Good morning
I want to start today’s message by having a bit of fun and playing a game.
Would anyone like to play a game this morning?
I need 3 volunteers to play to win three prizes.
I am going to present each of you with a series of riddles, and the one who solves the most correctly will win Prize #1. The one in second place will win prize #2, and 3rd, prize #3.
Simple enough?
Let’s play
Round 1:
The person who makes it has no need for it. The person who purchases it does not use it. The person who does use it does not know he or she is. What is it?
Answer: A coffin
Paul’s height is six feet, he’s an assistant at a butcher’s shop, and wears size 9 shoes. What does he weigh?
Answer: Meat
What five-letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it?
Answer: Short
Round 2:
A man stands on one side of a river, his dog on the other. The man calls his dog, who immediately crosses the river without getting wet and without using a bridge or a boat. How did the dog do it?
Answer: The river was frozen.
Forrest left home running. He ran a ways and then turned left, ran the same distance and turned left again, ran the same distance and turned left again. When he got home, there were two masked men. Who were they?
Answer: The catcher and the umpire
I left my campsite and hiked south for 3 miles. Then I turned east and hiked for 3 miles. I then turned north and hiked for 3 miles, at which time I came upon a bear inside my tent eating my food! What color was the bear?
Answer: White. The only place you can hike 3 miles south, then east for 3 miles, then north for 3 miles and end up back at your starting point is the North Pole. Polar bears are the only bears that live at the North Pole, and they are white.
Round 3:
A man pushes his car to a hotel and tells the owner he’s bankrupt. Why?
Answer: He’s playing Monopoly.
Winner
Just like brain teasers and logic riddles, if we are going to love God with our everything, we’ve got to renew our minds to His truth and reality, and no longer accept the sin-soaked despair that permeates the present world, and that comes up from our hearts and damaged emotions.
Today, we continue in our study of the Greatest Commandment to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, as we focus on what it means to love God with all our mind.
You can turn in your Bibles to . That’s where we will begin our time in God’s Word for today, and as you do, let’s set up our background for the morning.
Loving God with all our minds means that our minds are renewed by the truth of God, and that God’s truth is then applied through our lives.
There are two parts to this definition.
First, our minds must be renewed by God’s truth.
Why? Because, since we are infected with sin, we do not naturally think about things from God’s perspective, nor do we instinctively allow the thoughts of God to guide our thoughts.
As a result, our minds must be renewed.
Its kind of like our minds are our Video Store membership card.
Video Store story? (time permitting). Beta Max to VHS (pics?)
Every year, we would have to renew our membership to the video store so that we can access the entertainment provided.
Our minds are the gateway to the truth that we base our lives upon.
Except that, again, because of sin, our minds have expired and we don’t know it.
Because of sin, we are not accessing the vast resource of God’s truth, we are relying on BetaMax, which, as we all know is a far inferior kind of information.
In fact, its not even Beta Max, its a slide projector, showing a picture of something, but not telling the truth about that something.
That is, unless and until our minds are renewed by Christ to His truth, which is found in His Word.
Second, God’s truth must then be applied through our lives
Yes, this is obedience, but it is also how we demonstrate that our minds have truly been renewed.
God’s truth is not just limp information, it is compelling truth.
It is compelling because one cannot hear and understand the truth of God without such truth compelling that person to action.
If one is not inspired to apply that truth through their lives, they may have the truth memorized, but they do not understand it and their minds are not renewed.
Too many Christians fail to bridge the gap between agreement and application.
We agree with God’s truth, but fail to apply it in many ways.
Chan or Chandler said,
When I tell my kids to clean their rooms, I don’t want them to go away, come back after a little while, and I ask them if they cleaned their room, and they say, “no, but I memorized exactly what you said.” I don’t want that. I want them to do it.
Loving God with all our minds means that our minds are renewed by the truth of God, and that God’s truth is then applied through our lives.
Pray
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
I want to suggest to you that a major obstacle in the life of the Christian as it relates to our minds is the fact that
Too often, we settle for intellectually recognizing God’s truth instead of seeking for our minds to be renewed by God’s truth.
In fact, just in these verses that we just read, Paul says that we actually do not truly recognize God’s Will unless are minds are renewed by God.
This is why we can recognize that God does forgive, but we don’t think He can forgive us.
This is why we can recognize that God so loves the world, yet we cannot understand why He would love us.
Our minds must be renewed by God.
Our human understandings of forgiveness, love, salvation, goodness, justice, and so on, are nothing like God’s, but we need to, in increasing measure, think more and more like God, and apply His truth more and more through our lives if we are indeed going to love God with all our mind.
I would submit to you that recognition without renewal is one of the reasons why we ask questions like,
“why do bad things happen to good people?”
We have a sense of justice, and we recognize that God is supposed to be just, but our minds are not renewed to better trust His justice, and so we think that somehow God’s justice is lacking in scope.
We have a sense of good and bad, and we recognize that God is supposed to be good, but our minds are not renewed by His truth and therefore we have not applied that truth in our lives yet, and so we despair because we are confused as to how God could be a good God while all these bad things are happening.
What does a renewed mind look like?
Let’s keep reading in Romans. Look down at
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Let’s break this section down quickly.
Its so rich, I wish we had about two more hours, but we will try to get as good a picture as we can in the next 20 minutes. Here we go.
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
This section seems obvious, perhaps to many of us. Of course, our love must be genuine. We are, in fact, right now, in a series of messages about what it means to genuinely love God.
Paul teaches believers to endeavor to honor each other, to care for the needs of each other, and warns us not to backslide when he says, “do not be slothful in zeal.” That means, pray that we do not lose our enthusiasm and thirst for God, and thereby fall back into a Godless life.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
But then Paul’s directives shift, and the commands are all of a sudden not so easy for us to do. In fact, many of them are the exact opposite of what we would naturally do. And isn’t that more evidence that our minds need to be renewed by Gods’ truth, and therefore transformed?
And furthermore, such renewal would then produce an action that is more Christ-like than us-like?
Loving God with all our minds means that our minds are renewed by the truth of God, and that God’s truth is then applied through our lives.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 10: Romans through Galatians C. Principles Governing Christian Conduct (12:9–21)
Paul’s injunction to bless persecutors rather than curse them undoubtedly goes back to the teaching of our Lord (Matt 5:44; Luke 6:28) through oral tradition. The teaching was incarnated in the Savior himself and became clearly manifested during his trial and his suffering on the cross. To persecute is literally “to pursue.” Persecution could take various forms, running the gamut from verbal abuse and social ostracism to the use of violence resulting in death. A few years later, Roman Christians were to lose their lives in great numbers at the hands of Emperor Nero. Persecution in some form or another was so common in the experience of the early church that Paul is able to assume as a matter of course that it is a factor in the lives of his readers. If such treatment is not encountered in our society, we can at least cultivate the readiness to meet it and so fulfill the injunction in spirit. To bless one’s persecutors involves praying for their forgiveness p 134 and for a change of outlook regarding the Christian faith. It can be done only by the grace of Christ.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
On the surface, it might seem easier to rejoice than to weep. Or at least more appealing. Nobody wants to hang out with a Debbie Downer, right?
But what about when we are jealous of the person who is rejoicing? Its a little harder to do that, isn’t it?
Or what if they are rejoicing over something that annoys us, or that we otherwise do not prefer?
Worship Music
16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.
Here again, we all might recognize that we are not to think of ourselves as superior to anyone else, but the way we apply that through our lives is to actually seek out those who might be considered “lowly” and to associate with them, to spend time with them, and to welcome them into our spheres of life as we engage in theirs. And just in case we are doing that and still thinking of ourselves as superior, Paul says again that we are not think of ourselves as wise in our own sight. Conceit has no place in the life that is ruled by love.
17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
Our human instinct is to repay evil with evil. To get people back. If they burn down our house, we burn down their village. But that does not require a renewed mind, does it?
How many people today, in our society, when they feel hurt or are otherwise offended, set about to destroy the lives of those they believe are to blame?
But here, the application of God’s truth, and the evidence of believer who loves God with all their mind, is to understand that they are a witness to a lost and dying world, and as such, our conduct when responding to hurt or betrayal must be consistent with the standards of the Gospel. Honorable - It should be of utmost importance that our actions do not bring unfavorable reflection on the Gospel.
18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
In other words, if disharmony should continue, it should not be because we, Christians are either initiating it, or continuing it. The Christian may not be able to persuade the other party, but they can still be a peacemaker () if their aim is to live at peace with their neighbors.
19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
A life that does seek a peace with all can be costly because we will be taken advantage of. Our generosity, our love, our unwillingness (hopefully) to seek the destruction of another will leave us vulnerable to opportunistic manipulators who just want our stuff.
And I admit, its hard not to want to achieve some measure of revenge when we figure it out. But the Christian with a renewed mind will leave room for God’s Wrath, trusting and knowing that God is aware of the betrayal and that He will deal with it in the proper time, and according to His justice. (There’s justice again)
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 10: Romans through Galatians C. Principles Governing Christian Conduct (12:9–21)
Trust him to take care of the situation. He will not bungle. He will not be too lenient or too severe. Here Paul quotes Deuteronomy 32:35, whose context indicates that the Lord will intervene to vindicate his people when their enemies abuse them and gloat over them. God’s action will rebuke not only the adversaries but also the false gods in which they have put their trust.
20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 10: Romans through Galatians C. Principles Governing Christian Conduct (12:9–21)
There is no suggestion that the wrath of God will be visited upon the wrongdoer immediately. On the contrary, that wrath is the last resort, for in the immediate future lies the possibility that the one who has perpetrated the wrong will have a change of heart and will be convicted of his sin and won over by the refusal of the Christian to retaliate (v. 20). Here again Paul lets the OT (Prov 25:21, 22) speak for him. The course of action recommended is the positive aspect of what has been stated in v. 17. “Burning coals” are best understood as “the burning pangs of shame and contrition” (Cranfield, in loc.). There is no definite promise at this point that the offender will be converted, but at least he will not be a threat in the future. Moreover, by going the second mile and showing unexpected and unmerited kindness, the believer may well have spared his companions from having the same experience he has endured. In that measure, society has benefited.
20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Simply put, the world’s philosophy and our own sinful and prideful desires lead us to seek retaliation. But to offer kinds, to offer love when it seems most uncalled for, often can melt the hardest of hearts.
Loving God with all our minds means that our minds are renewed by the truth of God, and that God’s truth is then applied through our lives.
What We Need to Understand About Renewing Our Minds
Renewing Our Minds is More Than an External Transformation
When our minds are renewed and we apply God’s truth through our lives, it doesn’t mean that we just avoid sin, that’s part of it. But the truth is, you can avoid worldly behaviors and still not be transformed. Rather, it means that inside of us, mentally and spiritually, we are transformed.
The believers’ alternative to worldly behaviors is not just switching to a new list of moral behaviors, its the amazing power and transformation of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ.
Transformation, renewal of our minds, is not exchanging the to-do list of our flesh/sin with the to-do list of God’s law. Paul says that we exchange the works of our flesh for the fruit of the Spirit ()
Realize That There is a Problem With Our Earthly Minds
22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Our minds are by nature self-worshiping and self-honoring. We cannot lean on our own understanding because our own understanding is infected, starving of God, and void of His truth.
The Holy Spirit Renews Our Mind Through a Double-Work
The Holy Spirit must expose our minds to God’s Truth - Outside In
The Holy Spirit must break our blinded and hardened heart that is at the root of our corrupted mind - Inside Out
If the Holy Spirit only worked from the outside in, we would become prideful because we would have knowledge with a hardened heart.
If the Holy Spirit only worked from the inside out, God’s truth would not be before our minds and we would not surrender to Him because our minds would not have His truth to guide us.
Practical Apps
I want you to be able to love God with all your mind.
I want to love God with all my mind.
As the band comes back up, I want to give you two things that you can do right now to renew your mind.
16 Ways to Meditate on Scripture
On your chairs, you see a booklet called 16 Ways to Meditate on Scripture. Here is an opportunity for you to expose your mind to more of God’s truth in a meaningful and impacting way.
We talk alot about meditating on Scripture, the Bible says that we are supposed to meditate on Scripture, but what does that really mean?
Your booklet is a roadmap to help you do just that.
Know Why You Believe Small Group
In the coming weeks, I will be leading a small group called, Know What You Believe. This is group that is good for non-believers, new believers, and seasoned believers. We will examine the essential beliefs of Christianity from both a doctrinal/biblical, and practical point of view.
This is a great way to invite the Holy Spirit to do His inside out work in you as we will uncover and discover God’s truth in transformational ways.
I am still figuring out what day and what location, but if you are interested in this group, I invite you to sign up at the Welcome Center right after service. Please fill out all the information as completely as you can, and we will contact all those who indicate interest with the logistic details in the next couple of weeks.
If you long to break loose from conformity to the world,
If you long to be transformed and new from the inside out,
If you long to be free from mere duty-driven Christianity so that you can do what you love to do because what you love to do is what you ought to do,
If you long to offer up your body as a living sacrifice so that you whole life becomes a spiritual act of worship and displays the worth of Christ above the worth of the world,
Then, as it the Bible reads in
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
We’re going to close with two songs of response.
One that is a declaration of what is hopefully our desire to build our lives upon the truth of God, and the last song is a great way to rejoice in the goodness of our great God.
Learn to love God with all your mind by allowing the Holy Spirit to do His inside out/outside in work in you; renewing your mind with the truth of God, so that you might apply His compelling truth in and through your life.