Mind Over Matter
Scripture Reading: Psalm 51:1-17
1 Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
We spoke last week about repentance. The writer of this psalm is repenting.
Like Job , they have realize they need to repent from the sin they have
committed and even the sin they were born into. They have recognized that it
is not God’s desire to merely receive lots of sacrifices. Verse 17 says that He
wants a broken spirit and a contrite (or repentant) heart; that desire to turn
away from our own selfishness. The psalmist understands that appearing
outwardly to be good is not as important as being truthful inwardly, on the
inside. It is God that will cleanse us.
Ezekiel 36:25-27
25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will
cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give
you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of
stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit
within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My
judgments and do them.
It is clearly to be God who cleanses us. He takes our sin away as far as east is
from west and gives us a new heart and a new spirit; His Spirit so that we can
walk in His statutes and judgments and do them. Many focus on the fact that
we all have fallen short and think it means that we should not press forward to
rise above that. But Ezekiel prophesied that we would be able to walk in His
way. So, why don’t we see more believers walking in His way?
Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is
your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is
that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This is the evidence of
that ‘turning away’ that we spoke of last week. Is repentance without any fruit
really true repentance? How many drunkards, while they’re hung-over and sick
will cry out and say that they will never drink again? Many. How many actually
do that? Few. I know that when I was struggling with cigarettes I said time and
again that I would not buy another pack of cigarettes only to buy them again
and again. It wasn’t until I renewed my mind and stop thinking like a smoker
that I was able to break free from those chains. I used to think that me saying
the words was what brought my non-smoking vision to reality but now I believe
there was more to it.
I renewed my mind to that of a non-smoker. I was thanking God for making me
a non-smoker and thanking Him for making them taste bad. But in fact, they
ALWAYS tasted bad. Ask any smoker and they’ll tell you that when they first
smoked they choked. How did they stop choking? They had to trick their mind
into thinking that taking black smoke into their lungs was good. So, how do we
as believers in Yeshua renew our my minds to be in line with the mind of God?
Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper
than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit,
and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart.
It is that living, powerful word of God that is going to make the difference. Man
does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God. I know
that I beat this drum like a drum major but really that is how important it is.
Read the Bible. Over and over and over again, read it! That is going to be
part of what makes the difference between you staying on the path or falling off
from it. I know that in your heart and in your spirit you want to walk righteously.
I can want to run a mile without stopping to catch my breath. I can really desire
in my spirit to do so but if I don’t renew myself with repetition, now matter how
much I want to I’m not going to be able to do it. And guess what? Someday I
may have someone chasing me and I may need to run like that. Me getting
away to safety and me getting caught is going to depend on whether I have
renewed myself.
Ephesians 4:17-19
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer
walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18
having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God,
because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of
their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to
lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Paul tells us through the Ephesians that we should no longer walk as the world
walks, having no understanding of the ways of God and how to live in that way.
Being blinded into living the way we used to without remorse. Then he tells
them this.
Ephesians 4:20-24
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him
and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off,
concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your
mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to
God, in true righteousness and holiness.
We must put off the old man by being renewed in our mind by the word of God
so that we can put on the new man and walk in the righteousness and holiness
God created us to walk in. Isn’t that awesome to know that you were made to
be righteous and holy? If you have to say it over and over again like I did to
quit smoking then you say it. “I was made to be righteous and holy!”
Hebrews 12:12-17
12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble
knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may
not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will
see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of
God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this
many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person
like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know
that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected,
for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with
tears.
Don’t fool yourself like Esau did for a bowl of stew, or in our case for the desires
of the flesh. Let us renew our minds now so that we can walk in all the fullness
of this life God has given to us.
Additional scripture:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing,
yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the
things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the
things which are not seen are eternal.
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: July 20, 2008
Scripture Reading: Psalm 51:1-17
1 Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
We spoke last week about repentance. The writer of this psalm is repenting.
Like Job , they have realize they need to repent from the sin they have
committed and even the sin they were born into. They have recognized that it
is not God’s desire to merely receive lots of sacrifices. Verse 17 says that He
wants a broken spirit and a contrite (or repentant) heart; that desire to turn
away from our own selfishness. The psalmist understands that appearing
outwardly to be good is not as important as being truthful inwardly, on the
inside. It is God that will cleanse us.
Ezekiel 36:25-27
25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will
cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give
you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of
stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit
within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My
judgments and do them.
It is clearly to be God who cleanses us. He takes our sin away as far as east is
from west and gives us a new heart and a new spirit; His Spirit so that we can
walk in His statutes and judgments and do them. Many focus on the fact that
we all have fallen short and think it means that we should not press forward to
rise above that. But Ezekiel prophesied that we would be able to walk in His
way. So, why don’t we see more believers walking in His way?
Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is
your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is
that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This is the evidence of
that ‘turning away’ that we spoke of last week. Is repentance without any fruit
really true repentance? How many drunkards, while they’re hung-over and sick
will cry out and say that they will never drink again? Many. How many actually
do that? Few. I know that when I was struggling with cigarettes I said time and
again that I would not buy another pack of cigarettes only to buy them again
and again. It wasn’t until I renewed my mind and stop thinking like a smoker
that I was able to break free from those chains. I used to think that me saying
the words was what brought my non-smoking vision to reality but now I believe
there was more to it.
I renewed my mind to that of a non-smoker. I was thanking God for making me
a non-smoker and thanking Him for making them taste bad. But in fact, they
ALWAYS tasted bad. Ask any smoker and they’ll tell you that when they first
smoked they choked. How did they stop choking? They had to trick their mind
into thinking that taking black smoke into their lungs was good. So, how do we
as believers in Yeshua renew our my minds to be in line with the mind of God?
Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper
than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit,
and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart.
It is that living, powerful word of God that is going to make the difference. Man
does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from God. I know
that I beat this drum like a drum major but really that is how important it is.
Read the Bible. Over and over and over again, read it! That is going to be
part of what makes the difference between you staying on the path or falling off
from it. I know that in your heart and in your spirit you want to walk righteously.
I can want to run a mile without stopping to catch my breath. I can really desire
in my spirit to do so but if I don’t renew myself with repetition, now matter how
much I want to I’m not going to be able to do it. And guess what? Someday I
may have someone chasing me and I may need to run like that. Me getting
away to safety and me getting caught is going to depend on whether I have
renewed myself.
Ephesians 4:17-19
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer
walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18
having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God,
because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of
their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to
lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Paul tells us through the Ephesians that we should no longer walk as the world
walks, having no understanding of the ways of God and how to live in that way.
Being blinded into living the way we used to without remorse. Then he tells
them this.
Ephesians 4:20-24
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him
and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off,
concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your
mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to
God, in true righteousness and holiness.
We must put off the old man by being renewed in our mind by the word of God
so that we can put on the new man and walk in the righteousness and holiness
God created us to walk in. Isn’t that awesome to know that you were made to
be righteous and holy? If you have to say it over and over again like I did to
quit smoking then you say it. “I was made to be righteous and holy!”
Hebrews 12:12-17
12 Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble
knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may
not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will
see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of
God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this
many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person
like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know
that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected,
for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with
tears.
Don’t fool yourself like Esau did for a bowl of stew, or in our case for the desires
of the flesh. Let us renew our minds now so that we can walk in all the fullness
of this life God has given to us.
Additional scripture:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing,
yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the
things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the
things which are not seen are eternal.
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: July 20, 2008