Free Your Mind
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· 183 viewsThe recipe for a joy filled living and fellowship is focusing on the greatness of Jesus Christ and who is Jesus and what Jesus has done for us
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Illustration: Joni: An Unforgettable Story) published in 1976
In “Joy Hard Won” of Decision Magazine’s March 2000 edition, Joni Eareckson Tada writes:
Honestly is always the best policy, but especially when you’re surrounded by a crowd of women in a restroom during a break at a Christian women’s conference. One woman, putting on lipstick, said, “Oh, Joni, you always look so together, so happy in your wheelchair. I wish that I had your joy!” Several women around her nodded. “How do you do it?” she asked as she capped her lipstick.
“I don’t do it,” I said. “In fact, may I tell you honestly how I woke up this morning?”
“This is an average day,” I breathed deeply. “After my husband, Ken, leaves for work at 6:00AM., I’m alone until I hear the front door open at 7:00AM. That’s when a friend arrives to get me up.
“While I listen to her make coffee, I pray, ‘Oh, Lord, my friend will soon give me a bath, get me dressed, sit me up in my chair, brush my hair and teeth, and send me out the door. I don’t have the strength to face this routine one more time. I have no resources. I don’t have a smile to take into the day. But you do. May I have yours? God, I need you desperately.’”
“So, what happens when your friend comes through the bedroom door?” one of them asked.
“I turn my head toward her and give her a smile sent straight from heaven. It’s not mine. It’s God’s. And so,” I said, gesturing to my paralyzed legs. “whatever joy you see today was hard won this morning.”
I have leaned that the weaker we are, the more we need to lean on God; and the more we lean on God, the stronger we discover him to be.
Transition To Body
Transition To Body
What are the things on the Philippians mind? What is captivating their thoughts?
Christ’s commitment to their salvation
People taking advantage of Paul’s imprisonment
Taking Care Of their own interest
Experiencing contentment in serving versus grumbling while serving
Near death experiences of Epaphroditus
Sufficiency of their salvation
Finding & Following (imitating) Christ like leaders
Factions within the church threatening the church’s unity
Body- In Order To Free Our Minds To Experience The Fullness Of Christian Living
Body- In Order To Free Our Minds To Experience The Fullness Of Christian Living
You Must Choose To Possess A Proper Spiritual Outlook
You Must Choose To Possess A Proper Spiritual Outlook
Many times we are a very temporal minded people.
So instead of considering the things of God which are eternal,
We focus on the things of man which are temporary...
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Focus On God
Focus On God
true =
true = being truthful and righteous, honest
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,
Philippians 1:15-
But you focus your mind on what is true
noble/honorable= evoking special respect, human beings worthy of respect/honorable, dignified, serious, good character
right/just= righteous, being in accordance with high standards of rectitude, upright, fair, being proper or right in the sense of being fully justified
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Concerns over works of the flesh vs. works of the Holy Spirit
1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. 2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—
Philippians
pure= holy, innocent, holy one, an attribute of the divinity and everything belonging to it, that which awakens religious awe, pertaining to being without moral defect or blemish
lovely= pleasing, that which causes people to be pleased with something
admirable/commendable= worthy of praise, admirable, appealing, praiseworthy, pertaining to deserving approval or good reputation, gracious
excellence= quality of moral excellence, outstanding goodness, virtue, excellence of character
Follow God’s standard not the world’s standard
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
Mark 10:18-19
18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’ ”
worthy of praise= applause, act of expressing admiration or approval, praise, recognition
Philippians are to fill their minds with things that inspire worship of God and service to others
9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Acts
Philippians 1:9
Put Your Spirituality Into Practice i.e. Practice Makes Perfect (PMP)
Put Your Spirituality Into Practice i.e. Practice Makes Perfect (PMP)
Practice Makes Perfect (PMP)
9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
What have the Philippians observed and/or experienced through their encounters with Paul?
Paul’s example:
8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
Remaining and continuing for your progress & joy in the faith
Philippians 1:23
23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.
Engaged in the same conflict
29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
Circumcision of the heart who worship by the Spirit of God & Glory in Christ Jesus who put no confidence in the flesh
3 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
It is within the book of Acts in Chapter 16 that we learn about the origins of the Philippian church and the work that Paul performed through the inward working power of the Holy Spirit
11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.
Practice Paul’s Example- We need Godly Examples both inside and outside the church!
15 For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Hebrews 6:12-
12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. 13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise.
5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Matthew 18:5-6
Practice These Things:
1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.
James 3:
Practice (Do) These Things:
11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.
Practice= to carry out some activity (with possible focus upon the procedures involved) i.e. Do
Practice These Things:
Practice What Is Taught
Practice What Is Taught
learned= to acquire information as the result of instructed, whether in an informal or formal context
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
Acts 16:11
11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
I like how the King James Version of the Holy Bible says it:
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Practice What Is Passed Down
Practice What Is Passed Down
received= to take to oneself, to acquire information from someone, the kind of information passed on by tradition
Illustration: 4 generations of crocheting within my wife’s family
Ol’ Folks Religion Is Still Good Religion
The things passed down to us by our elders that were just good and worked...
Practice What Is Commanded
Practice What Is Commanded
Illustration: Describe Navy’s Process of Repeat to Confirm when in the Navy Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) in college to honor obligations for the 4 year scholarship
By repeating an order back to the one that gives it, one confirms that the order has been correctly received and understood, so any mistakes in communication can be fixed before the order is executed. It also impresses bystanders with the speakers' professionalism and steadiness, under stressful conditions (illustrate: the world is watching how Christians handle life’s challenges)
This practice can also be used to signal that the order has been executed. This is usually the case for orders that are easily performed and reversible, but makes it amply clear to the one giving the order that it has been executed. In some cases the order is repeated both as confirmation of receipt and then as to its execution.
heard= to listen or pay attention to a person, with resulting conformity to what is advised or commanded, to pay attention and obey
Acts 16:14
14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.
29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.
Acts 16:29
We need to learn to pay attention to the LORD’s commands
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
And it is Jesus who said:
Romans 10:
15 “If you love me, keep my commands.
Practice What You Know
Practice What You Know
seen= realize, perceive, observe, to know
You got to do something with what you learned in church and what you learn through the Scriptures and what you learned from leaders and mentors who are faithful to the call of following Jesus Christ.
It makes no sense to come to church every Sunday and hear a word from the LORD and not learn anything from it that you can put into practical use for your daily living.
(The God Of Peace Will Be With You)
God= the one supreme supernatural being as creator and sustainer of the universe.
It was Jesus Christ who said
3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb.
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
John 20:
peace= state of concord, peace, harmony
20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
And you will have peace in the church
21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
Jesus said:
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Children of God both experience peace and bring peace with them wherever they go,
because the Bible says:
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
God Ability to do far more abundantly
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Matthew
And the servant Paul says here:
9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
Philippians 3:4-
Philippians 2:4-8
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Transition To Close
Transition To Close
Illustration: Putting the Teachings of Jesus Christ into Practice
When the Word of God becomes engraved in our minds, it changes our perspective about life. That doesn’t mean we’ll live in constant euphoria, but it does provide an intellectual basis for optimistic thinking. One man called Scripture memory “the daily habit of supplying the subconscious with God’s material to chew upon.” Thus the Apostle Paul saying here in Philippians 4:8, “Fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable… and the God of peace will be with you.”
That’s why Isaiah calls Jesus:
Illustration: In “Joy Hard Won” of Decision Magazine’s March 2000 edition, Joni Eareckson Tada writes:
Honestly is always the best policy, but especially when you’re surrounded by a crowd of women in a restroom during a break at a Christian women’s conference. One woman, putting on lipstick, said, “Oh, Joni, you always look so together, so happy in your wheelchair. I wish that I had your joy!” Several women around her nodded. “How do you do it?” she asked as she capped her lipstick.
“I don’t do it,” I said. “In fact, may I tell you honestly how I woke up this morning?”
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
“This is an average day,” I breathed deeply. “After my husband, Ken, leaves for work at 6:00AM., I’m alone until I hear the front door open at 7:00AM. That’s when a friend arrives to get me up.
“While I listen to her make coffee, I pray, ‘Oh, Lord, my friend will soon give me a bath, get me dressed, sit me up in my chair, brush my hair and teeth, and send me out the door. I don’t have the strength to face this routine one more time. I have no resources. I don’t have a smile to take into the day. But you do. May I have yours? God, I need you desperately.’”
“So, what happens when your friend comes through the bedroom door?” one of them asked.
“I turn my head toward her and give her a smile sent straight from heaven. It’s not mine. It’s God’s. And so,” I said, gesturing to my paralyzed legs. “whatever joy you see today was hard won this morning.”
I have leaned that the weaker we are, the more we need to lean on God; and the more we lean on God, the stronger we discover him to be.
Close- It was Jesus Christ who said
Close- It was Jesus Christ who said
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
John 8:
And Jesus gives peace to us, not as the world gives...
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
John 14:25-27
Peace Be With You after Jesus’ resurrection
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
Offering Your bodies as a living sacrifice
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.
John 4:23
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
After receiving mercy from God
After being a beneficiary of God’s grace...