Topic: “Having the Mind of Christ”!!!

Text:  Romans 12:2

“And be not conformed to this world:  but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God”.

This word “mind” is from the root word nous, meaning the intellect; mind (divine or human) in thought, feeling, or will.

Paul is emphasizing Christian conduct and it trickles on down to us even now, because this world system is under Satan’s rule:

• 2 Corinthians 4:4: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
• 1 John 5:19: And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

The “world” is hostile to God and His people!

• St. John 7:7: The world cannot hate you; but me it hates, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
• James 4:4: Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?  Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.   And it is built upon human wisdom and values: 1 Corinthians 1:17-25:  And an unbiblical world  view: Romans 1:18-32.

We know the Kingdom of Christ is not of this world.   John 18:36: Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world:  if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews:  but now is my kingdom not from hence”.

 And we know that this world’s kingdom is full of darkness, deception and seduction.  Therefore, we as believers are called to be “light” in the midst of darkness:

• Matthew 5:14: Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.
• Ephesians 5:8-11: For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord:  walk as children of light:  (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth):  proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.  And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

We can only do this after receiving Jesus Christ in our heart as Lord and Savior and allowing the fire of the Holy Ghost to burn out of us everything that’s not of God.  Starting with the “mind”!

By the term “mind”, we mean “GOD”, the universal principle of causation which includes all principles.

What is “causation”?  It is the action of causing something.

There is nothing but mind and thought principle and its mode of expression.

Mathematics is a principle that in its field illustrates the exact and inexorable laws that are one with the manifestations of God, or Mind. 

The things made or externalized, are simply effects, and of themselves would quickly pass away:  but Mind and thought are one and inseparable self-existent, and ever active, the cause of all that appears.

In the creation all things were brought forth by “GOD SAID” – “mind thought”!  He thought it, He spoke it.  God thought it!  God spoke it!  And it was so!!!

What is God’s mind set?  It is one of love, harmony, creativity, life, liberty, correction, righteousness, holiness, righteous judgment.  As a matter of fact, everything stated in Isaiah 11:2-5:

• Vs 2: And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
• Vs 3: And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD:  and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
• Vs 4: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth:  and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
• Vs 5: And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.

What are you saying?  We can have the “mind of Christ”? Yes that’s exactly what I’m saying!  Paul stated it very clearly in Philippians 2:5: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”.

This word “mind” is the root word “phrone’o”, meaning to exercise the mind; entertain or have a sentiment or opinion; to be mentally (disposed) in a certain direction); to interest oneself; set the affection on; be of one; be of the same; regard; savor; to think.  It goes also to the root word phren (pronounced frane), which means to rein in or curb; the midriff (as a partition of the body), the feelings (or sensitive nature).

When we exercise and entertain our mind in the direction of that which is spiritual, we’re focused on fulfilling the purpose of God for our life that He’s glorified.  And when we do this that means that “the midriff” (a partition) has been set up between our focus on the purpose of God for our life and our “sensitive nature”!

• Romans 8:6: To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

In order for us to reach the fullness of God, we have to begin “to think differently”, which is what “repentance” is.    Whereas we say, “I can’t”, we must begin to think and say “I can”, “I want to”, “I will”!!!

Whereas we may think or say, “Nothing is going to change”.  We must begin to think and say, “Things are changing”!

We have the power, authority, and the ability to turn things around and to change circumstances to do the impossible.  All things are possible with God, Matthew 19:26.

There are three “mind” sets:  the natural, the carnal, and the spiritual.  In order for us to flourish, we must be spiritual minded.  That which is first is natural.  This is how we operated before we were knowledgeable of the Spirit.  We talked negative and were death minded because we were under Satan’s control.

Paul warned us of this natural mind:

• 1 Corinthians 2:14: The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God:  for they are foolishness unto him:  neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
  These are out right sinners, that don’t believe God or denies Him.

He warned us of the carnal mind: And it is dangerous and unproductive for us as believers to stay or live by this mindset.  Romans 8:6-8:

• Vs 6: For to be carnally minded is death.
• Vs 7: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God:  for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
• Vs 8: So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
  These are those that believe in God, but don’t believe that we can have all that God has for us now.  They believe that they have to die and go to heaven to be with Him and get what He has for us “there”!

We have to become spiritually minded:  Romans 8:6, 9-11:

• Vs 6: To be spiritually minded is life and peace.

• Vs 9: But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.  Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
• Vs 10: And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
• Vs 11: But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you.
  These are the ones that believe that they can have the total of what God has for them right here and right now while they’re alive!

Our thought life affects everything about us.  How we feel, live, and act.  If you continually think negative thoughts, you will always act in a negative way.  Whatever or however you think, that you will be or have.

• Proverbs 3:7: For as a man thinketh (estimates) in his heart (feelings; will; intellect; the middle or midst of himself or herself; understanding), so is he.

This is a spiritual warfare and we need the “mind of Christ” to combat the enemy:

• Romans 13:12: The night is far spent, the day is at hand:  let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
• 2 Corinthians 6:7: By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left.
• Ephesians 6:12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

When the vail of the temple was rent in twain, it was rent from the top to the bottom, not the bottom to the top.  Why?  Because our victory starts in our “mind”!

• Mark 15:38: And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.

Veil is from the root word katapet’asma, meaning the door screen (to the Most Holy Place) of the Jewish temple.  But it was the curtain in the tabernacle that hung between the holy place and the Most Holy Place. 

• Hebrews 10:20: By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the vail, that is to say, “his flesh”.

 Now that Jesus has died, the veil that kept God’s people separated from Him, has been torn down, and it places God’s people in the same room with Him!!! 

• Ephesians 2:14-15: For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace. 

That’s why the “vail” (covering) has to come off of our mind that God and Jesus is out beyond the blue somewhere, but that they are here in us by the Holy Ghost!

The question was asked once, “How do we eat the flesh of Jesus”?  My response was: St. John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God”:  Vs 14: “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us”. 

So if Jesus was the “Word made flesh”, and He was – then when you read, hear, study the Word, and believe it and receive it, you’re “eating Jesus’ flesh”! 

This is the renewing (or renovating) of the mind, or repenting (metanoe’o, pronounced met-an-o-eh’-o), meaning “to think differently”.  We must think spiritually and not naturally or carnally.

• 1 Corinthians 2:14: The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:  for they are foolishness unto him:  neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Everything carnal was rent (from the top to the bottom), the natural mind or sense thought that concealed or covered the spiritual body was done away with.  So the spiritual mind or spiritual consciousness of the body comes to the forefront.

Now one will know and began to say, “I have the mind of Christ”!  “I am a spiritual being”!  “I AM THAT I AM”! “I AM ALPHA”!  HALLELUJAH!!!

All it is is a letting go of the natural and awakening to the spiritual!  Moving from that which is carnal and living in the spiritual.

• Romans 7:5-6: For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.  But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

God is a Spirit and they that worship Him, must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, John 4:24.

When we take on the “mind of Christ” we will do exploits!

Daniel 11:32: But the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits!                            EXPLOITS, is from the root word nagach’, pronounced naw-gakh’, meaning to butt with the horns; to war against.

We will become Isaiah 11:2-5, which speaks of the seven spirits of God that rested on Jesus the Christ:  “the Spirit of the LORD” [wisdom and understanding; counsel and might; knowledge and fear (reverence)]. These six all comes out of the seventh Spirit of God which is “righteousness”!

We know that we are more than kings, but we are “kings and priests”!  We hold both offices. 

2 Kings 15:13: [Shallum was king of Israel]:                                                                                                                         2 Chronicles 26: King Uzziah was a King, but he was not a priest.  He could not go into the temple and burn incense.  The Kings could only come to the altar.  You see, a lot of people can come to the altar and have authority, but to go into the holiest of holies you have to be more than a King, you’ve got to be a Priest.  We’re still talking about “having Christ’s mind”!  You have to have the “mind of Christ” to realize and hold this position:  Revelation 5:10: And hast made us unto our God kings and priests:  and we shall reign on (over) the earth.

When we have “the mind of Christ” we can be like Enoch, of whom the scripture says, “He walked with God and he was not:  for God took him” Genesis 5:21-24.

God did not conform to Enoch but Enoch conformed to God!  We have to conform to God by “having a Christ mind”!                                                                                                                                                                         “Conform”, means, “jointly formed; similar; fashioned like unto”.

• Romans 8:29: For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn amongst many brethren.
• Romans 12:2: And be not conformed to this world:  but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

When we “have the mind of Christ” our whole attitude and actions will be motivated by service to others instead of self-love.  We will be submissive to those in authority and always portray humility.

When we “have the mind of Christ”, we will fulfill 1 Corinthians 13:9-12:

• Vs 9: For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
• Vs 10: But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
• Vs 11: When I was a child, I spoke as a child I understood as a child, I thought as a child:  but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
• Vs 12: For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:  now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

We now know that when we see one another, we are looking at God in the flesh!  We’re seeing as God sees!

When we “have the mind of Christ”, we will all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ Ephesians 4:13.  This is the purpose of God for His people!

Know this:  Jesus is/was the flesh aspect of God and was God’s dwelling place.  He was also Jesus the Christ, the Spiritual part of Him that existed before the personality!  Therefore, Christ is the “Spiritual mind in every individual”!

“LET US HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST”!

Mark 16:15-16: And he said unto them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned”.

Evangelist Mary Perry