Have You Lost Your Mind Pt1

and now a word from the Lord let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and gave him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father my subject this morning is have you lost your mind usually when we use that phraseology it is designed to describe individuals who have done something quite unusual or something that would not be normally done of those of us who got common sense and when we see somebody do something that is quite unusual that a person with common sense would not do we would normally respond by saying have you lost your mind please do not sit in here and act like you have not said that to a person or two it is common for us to use that kind of language have you lost your mind however I want to suggest to you today that that is a scriptural concept that if you plan to be an effective Christian that God can use in his kingdom that have come to tell you you must lose your mind because if you keep your own mind you will do things your own way but if you're going to be a child of God and if you're going to be a Christian you can't think like you want to think you can't do what you want to do you can't act like you want to act what you've got to learn how to do is lose your mind and get the mind of Jesus Christ I've come to didn't help somebody somebody in here need to lose their mind if you want to be a good Christian if you plan to be effective as a child of God then you got to lose the way you think and adopt the way God thinks now let me bring this home to you let me bring it home to you you can get converted and become a Christian and you ain't change how you think and then you have a bunch of Christians that still act like they from the street okay I'm not saying anything over there you can be a Christian that behaves carnal minded that means you still have a worldly perspective on how you handle what you go through and how you deal with people you interact with and many times in the church we have Christians that have not adjusted their thinking patterns y'all not saying that that the Bible when it speaks of Christianity Christianity is not only a practice it's a way of thinking be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of it has a lot to do with how you think and what happens in Christianity we've got a lot of folk in the church they've been washed by the blood of Jesus but they've made no effort to change how they think so they're still hateful they're still vengeful they still think that they got to get things their way when they get to a church they want everything centered on them nothing centered on God because they still think everything is about them because they haven't changed how they think so they're not looking to serve they're looking to be serve y'all not saying anything I'm talking about folk in the church now I'm not talking about folk outside the church I'm talking about us in the church and the thinking ain't changed in the church but I still got my own mindset in the church but I'm still calling on minded you can be in the church and still become a Paul wrote to the Corinthian church and when Paul wrote to the Corinthian church he said are you not yet still carnal in other words you still think like you used to thing when you was in the world listen to me Church Christian is a transition from selfishness to selflessness saying you not be I say Christianity is a transition from selfishness to self Ness Ness in other words when you become a Christian it's no longer all about you it's about Christ and His Church and suddenly you're not only thinking of your benefit you're thinking about the kingdom agenda why finally what I'm saying Philippians speaks directly to this the the the epistle written to the church and fill the path speaks directly to this now if you're students of the Bible you know that when you look at the church at Philippi you can't speak about this epistle without looking at acts 16 that's where the church got started Paul during his second missionary journey planted this congregation and you remember one of the first converts was in Lydia and you remember Lydia was baptized by the seaside and then you also remember that the Philippian jailer was also baptized you remember what happened there where the where the cell was shook and all the prisoners were loosed and then they didn't that the Philippian jailer drew his sword to kill himself my Paul says stop your hand we're still here and then he said what must I do in order to be safe it's an interesting point when it comes to this because do you notice that the Philippian jailer said what must I do to be saved but he asked the question on the basis of Paul stopping him from killing himself you missed it all right Paul could have escaped all the prisoners could have left Paul say and the Philippian jailer under Roman rule had to kill himself because he failed at his job Paul says don't kill yourself you're still here and based on that behavior the Philippian jailer said what must I do to become part of your group you'll be surprised how many folks want to know more about Jesus because of how you behave sometimes it ain't what came out of your mouth sometimes is what you did that sparked interest for somebody to want to know more about the Jesus you serve y'all finally what I'm saying but that's Steve these planting of the congregation when Paul writes this letter Paul is in prison and not only is he in prison Paul makes very clear ah that he was still spreading the gospel even while he was incarcerated and Paul was so convicted about his Christianity that he said for me to live is Christ and to die is gain but he writes this letter for several reasons one he sends epaphroditus back because he got sick and he wants them to know how much he appreciated the gift that was sent to them they sent him an offering that came up as a sweet-smelling savour to God and he thanks them for the gift and he said but even if you had not given me that game I have learned in whatsoever state I mean that we have to be content my man Lionel did a good job on that the other night and so when you're reading the Philippian letter it's a letter of thankfulness however it's also a letter that implies listen that the church was in some sense divided I'm gonna prove it I know they were divided because Paul had to give instruction in Philippians four to two of the members Eutychus and synecdoche and he tells them be of one mind which implies they were in a state of tension and antagonism so Paul is dealing with a church that has a sense of disunity and not only do they have a sense of disunity but it's disrupting the congregation Paul wants to address that minds now looking Philippines to look at Philippians 2 Paul says hmm let this mind be in you what in one of the greatest passages in the Bible that expresses that Jesus is God now but I'm gonna show you something listen carefully theology is what we believe but theology must have practical application stay with me because I'm going somewhere theology what we believe what Paul brings up fee ology for a practical reason a lot of us know theology but we don't know how to apply the theology we know what Paul's going to do is say here's a theology but I'm telling you the theology for a practical reason now finally what I'm saying so Paul is going to enter into this great theology but then Paul's gonna say the reason I'm telling you the theology is for a practical reason because there's something you need to understand about the theology you believe and in yourfeet ology there is a practical application what's the theology who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and was obedient unto death even the death of the cross wherefore God highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name now that's good theology what Paul is talking about is the Incarnation God made flesh question why is Paul telling these Christians about Jesus being God when they already know that his point is not to prove that Jesus is God they know that already but there's a practical application that they have missed the Incarnation what a theology God in fresh God came from heaven eternity stepped into time and dwelt among us whoa what a theology God walked among men and with the disciples walk with Jesus they walk with God oh what a theology that the God who existed before time that God who said let there be like that God swap into swaddling clothes porn of a person marry and he was so much God that he created his own mother oh what a God that we said what the ology do y'all see theology but that ain't why he's telling them about it stay with me watching who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God why is he telling them that okay come back up to verse 1 I feel like having Bible class what is this stuff is so potent watch this watch this watch what Paul does in this letter because I told you there is an implication of disunity right if there be therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love any fellowship of the Spirit if powers of mercy here's what I want you to do fulfill my joy that you be like-minded do y'all see that okay watch it now not only does he want them to be like-minded but he says having the same love being of one Accord and one mine what's happening in the congregation there's disunity there not okay for the benefit of those of you who are students of the Bible there's a thing in biblical interpretation called the fallen condition focus fallen condition focus means whenever the writer encourages those he's writing to to practice a certain action it may mean that that is an action they're not already doing so if he says be of one mind he may be addressing a fallen condition focus which means they're not being of one mind therefore he needs to tell them be of one mind if they are not loving like they should then the Fallen condition focus is you need to be a loving Church cuz that's not what you're doing at the time so when paul tells them be of one man and to love and to be unified he's addressing a fallen condition was the fallen condition its disunity so when he says i need you to be like-minded it's cause they ain't being like-minded I need you to have the same life cuz they ain't being love it I need you to be in one mine cuz they ain't been of one man that that means Paul is writing the letter to address an issue what's the institution and let me tell you there's nothing worse in a church then when a church ain't of the same mind I think once you want to kill a church all you got to do as Memphis is be in different mindsets mmm I've seen a lot of churches that have split that have ceased to exist in that locality all because the members have different agendas whenever you see members who are more concerned with themselves then with other members of the congregation you've got bonafide disunity y'all y'all gettin quiet don't get quiet don't get quick I said when you look at the church you will kill a chance when you are not of the same mind and a church has to believe and operate on the same purpose and the church must go in the same direction otherwise you got this unity whenever you find a church where folk can't love somebody cuz they don't like them we are headed for disaster cuz that'll kill it search let me tell y'all a secret every last one of us in here got something about us that a likable you to get or don't use nod your head there's something about you that's not likable there are things about me that's not likable I am a human being with frailty with issues with mentalities you got issues you got ways but we must still love each other in spite of our unlikable Ness are you founding what I'm saying and you got to get there otherwise you will destroy the charts the church is full of members that are unlikable we are issue orientated people okay y'all not yes you are there's some stuff about you that is outright crazy there's some stuff about me that - you don't make no sense but we still got to be off one by one accord striving for the same purpose and not be selfish but be self less may I follow me that means it in all about me is about somebody else now that's the problem do y'all see the problem flex fulfill you my joint verse thing that should be like-minded having the same love being of one Accord one mind let nothing be done through strife let me define it now what is he doing he's dealing with a falling condition focus in other words there's a condition in this church in which they have fallen they are not operating in the things that Paul said now he says let nothing be done with strife the worst strive here means selfish ambition a Christian who only does what he or she does coz is going to personally benefit there let me say it again for those who are getting sleepy the word strife is referring to he or she that only does something in the church cuz it directly benefits them did y'all just get what I said if it's not going to benefit me I ain't fooling with it I'm not working on that ministry if I ain't the spotlight if it is something when I can readily be seen and if they got anything to do with working outside of those who will get credit I don't want to do with it cuz that's not helping my selfish ambition oh there's nothing wrong with being ambitious there's something wrong with selfish ambition I ought to see what I'm saying I think every young person in this building should be ambitious should look to accomplish something in life worth doing but in the challenge you can be ambitious but make sure your ambition is for God's agenda not your do y'all see the problem in the text okay if you notice everything I've been preaching and teaching everything if you paying attention to me at all everything I've been preaching and teaching has to do with changing the focus off of the physical and putting it back on what spiritual everything I've been preaching and teaching because I'm trying to help people see Christianity is a mental change of which you can't see life in this world the same way you used to see it now that you look at the world because you're a Christian you should have on the different pair glasses you used to be wearing two different paint lancers now you shouldn't be looking at the world the same way you used to look at it now when you get into church here's them here's what their problem is they're not of one Accord they're not like-minded they are a half a ambition that in laymen terms they got their own mind it's all about them now Paul looks at that and once I answers it first three let nothing be done with strife there's another one or vainglory empty glory your own glory let nothing be done with strength fame glory but in what loneliness of mine that's humility watch it now cuz some of us don't know what humility me so folk thing humility is weakness and a person ain't humble if they strong and confident and both and even that mean humility he going to find in a minute lowliness of mind begins first and foremost with you understanding you ain't on god's level starts there lowliness of mind has to do with not having an over estimated value of yourself you're not listening to me this morning see you ain't humble if you have an over estimated value of yourself who that doesn't mean have low self-esteem ain't nothing to do with that it means that in the church you can never think that you are so important that you eclipse the glory of Jesus Christ loneliness of mine now let's get a specific definition for that what's this let nothing been done this verse 3 be done with strife or vainglory but in lowliness of mine watch them explain it let each esteem other humility there's a biblical definition of humility if you didn't know Greek or Hebrew if you just knew a good English some good English you want to know humility is when you put others before you thank you for watching the West End Church of Christ living by faith weekly TV program it is our prayer that you will accept our invitation to come and worship with us we are located at 1303 Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard Atlanta Georgia three zero three one zero we meet every Sunday at 8 a.m. 10:45 a.m. and 6 p.m. worship services we have Bible study classes every Sunday at 9:40 a.m. and on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. for more information or to order a copy of today's sermon please visit us at

Channel: Official Renaissance Church of Christ

Views: 29,881

Rating: 4.8456974 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: MTm2mIfEqFI

Length: 27min 16sec (1636 seconds)

Published: Tue Mar 19 2013