Posted by David Whitten on July 27, 2011 under Sermons | 
Series: Good to Great in the Eyes of God
Make Great Sacrifices
Luke 9:23
We all ask the question “how much?” when we are at the bargaining table, when we are out shopping we all look at the price tag. What will it cost me? Before we commit to the purchase we want to know what is going to be the sacrifice on my end.
It is not any different when it comes to the cost of Christianity. We want to know what it will cost. Some have said salvation is free. Well then I’m in…. and we live that way we give little or nothing to the Kingdom of God because we have believed a lie.
Free salvation has been taught in pulpits around the world for centuries and we have responded as a result of this cheap grace we have given casual commitment and accepted comfortable Christianity. This type of false doctrine has run ramped in our Americanized Christianity. I believe we have preached and taught and lived this lie enough.
Salvation is not free. It cost God his one and only son, It cost Christ his dignity, the cross and his life. It cost the first century followers. They were greatly oppressed, all of the 12 apostles met a martyr’s death all but John who lived in exile in prison till his death.
Steven was stoned, Paul was imprisoned the beheaded. Many early Christians were thrown to the lions just for sport and endured all sorts of cruel persecution.
When Jesus said to his disciples in Luke 9 “deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me daily” they had a little better idea of what he was requiring then we do.
The first disciples left their Jobs and families to follow him. They lived with him as they followed him. He had no house, he had no money no car no promise of food for the day. They knew a little about sacrifice they saw it exampled in him and lived a life of depravity their selves.
So how do we grasp the depth of this call, as we sit on our padded pews in an air-conditioned building? How can we possibly understand Jesus call for us follow him in to death when we have believed that salvation is free and grace is cheap?. Well simply put, we can’t.
Let’s take off our 21st century glasses tinted with our American privilege for a while and simply listen to the plea that is before us.
This entire idea of Going from Good to Great in God’s Eyes is based on strengthening our commitment. When we decide to commit our lives to Christ it we accept a certain level of sacrifice.
We get this idea of sacrifice from Christ. We can’t think of Christ without also thinking of the Cross. So when we commit Christ we also commit to the cross.
The disciple’s conduct is patterned after that of his master. A disciple of Christ is one who has determined to become Christ-like. If we are going to be like Jesus then we are going to have to take up our cross.
The Cross: It is important to understand that God has given us salvation. It was paid for by the cross of Christ. Along with this salvation comes discipleship.
Jesus said if you are going to be His disciple, you have to bear your cross.
The call of Christ will always include the call of the cross! Let’s talk about that call of the cross for a few moments today. First notice . . .
1. The Clear Call of the Cross.
Look again at our text.
Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. [Luke 9:23]
Notice particularly the words: “And he [Jesus] said to them all..”
Jesus was always very clear regarding His call, and as we read scripture we find that the call is as clear today as it was 2,000 years ago. The call has not changed. The requirements for discipleship have not changed. It is important for us to notice that . . .
Jesus never recruits followers under false pretenses.
He never promised His followers a life of ease and comfort. He wanted those who would follow Him to clearly understand what they were getting into. The clear call of discipleship is that you will be required to live a life of self-denial and sacrifice.
The modern trend in church growth is: “Don’t speak of the ’tougher’ teachings of Jesus when attempting to win someone to the Lord.”
However, this may very well lead to defections from the faith when difficult times arise. It is neither ethical nor scriptural to tell people if they accept Christ as Savior they will have no further problems in life.
Throughout scripture you find Jesus dealing openly and honestly with people that came to Him. He told the rich young ruler the truth, and it caused the young man to go away from Christ.
In Luke 18 we find an example of the rich young ruler. 18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’[b]”
21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.
Jesus would not compromise for the sake of popularity. He made sure everyone understood the requirements for service, and He refused to change those requirements.
The call of the cross is a clear call.
2. The Conditional Call of the Cross ["...if.."]
Look again at the text. Notice the next 2 letter word “if.” It has great implications.
There are those who say the Bible is a book of blessing. That is true to an extent, the blessings in the bible are conditional and that is what this little two letter word indicates. God responds to obedience.
There are conditions [requirements] attached to discipleship. There are many today who call themselves disciples of Jesus, yet they will not accept His cross. They want a crown, but they’ll have no cross. But Luke 14:27 states: “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.“
One of the main conditions of discipleship is bearing one’s cross. Listen, no cross — no crown.. The “cross life” is greatly missing in many churches today.
Jesus said later in luke 9 in v26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
The mandate of God is that we are to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily! That leads to our next point …
3. The Costly Call of the Cross [..deny himself]
Christ is seeking those who are willing to abandon all in pursuit of Him. Discipleship is costly. It will cost a man his life. Dietrich Boenhoffer once said: “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die!”
We have made the call of Christ much too easy. Salvation is not cheap! It cost Christ His precious life! Bonhoeffer speaks of “Cheap grace.” Allow me to read a couple paragraphs from his book The Cost of Discipleship:
“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.”
Bonhoeffer contrasts cheap grace with costly grace: “Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field: for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods — it is the call of Jesus at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows Him.
Such grace is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow Him.
There is a great need to understand the cost of discipleship. This is not the day to offer a “bargain” religion.
Preach the word. Make disciples. Inform the Christian of the requirements of discipleship.
Discipleship involves —
1. Servanthood [Matthew 20:25-28]
25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The only way to servanthood is through the Cross: until we have died to self, there is no true servanthood. God does not want our contribution, He wants our surrender .
2. Stewardship [Matthew 25:15-28]
Stewardship is based upon the biblical assumption that everything we have and are belongs to God and must be used according to God’s will.
3. Sacrifice [1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Tim. 2:1-4]
We MUST understand that “we are not our own, for we’ve been bought with a price.”
- The Lord has not called us to comfort and ease.
- We’re not called to a life of luxury and great esteem.
Jesus clearly taught that the servant was not above his Master.
“A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. Matthew 10:24
4. Suffering [Phil. 3:10;
The disciple of Christ may be called upon to suffer for His name. What a wonderful attitude the Apostle Paul displayed when he wrote:
"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, " [Phil 3:10]
He not only desired the joy of resurrection power, but he was willing to share the fellowship of Christ¡¦s suffering. He had learned the secret. “No Cross — No Crown!”
And then Discipleship speaks of —
4. The Continual Call of the Cross ["daily"]
Discipleship is a daily cross walk. Jesus says if we are to be His disciples, we are to take up our cross DAILY.
Discipleship speaks of consistency. There is no discharge from this army.
Discipleship requires carrying your cross
when things go well, and when thing goes wrong.
It is required in the good times and the bad times.
One thing is certain: The disciple will find a cross waiting for him every day of his life.
The cross is that which keeps him firmly planted on the “narrow way.” It is an anchor for the soul. It is our compass. It is what makes life meaningful. It is the only way for us to be approved by God.
And finally, discipleship speaks of —
5. The Conquering Call of the Cross ["follow me"]
Let’s return one final time to our text.
And he [Jesus] said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. [Luke 9:23]
Discipleship means ultimate victory. You see, we are following the One who knows the way to victory. The path may sometimes seem hard. The weight of the cross may sometimes seem too heavy. The splinters from the cross might sometimes wound us. But one thing is certain. The way of the cross leads home
Let’s get this idea of the cross down and apply it to real life. Cross living means that we are unashamed of the Christ we say we serve, there is no shrinking back in our commitment.
When we are at work do we blend in to the chatter around the water cooler ? When we are at school we are not called to fade in to the crown in order to avoid being picked on.
Christ calls for boldness in our homes work and community.
The church of Jesus Christ has been quiet long enough we must stand out and be the light that draws the lost to Christ. We must be the salt that influences the ones around us and they know the true measure of being a Christian. That measure calls for daily sacrifice to do his great work.
Listen to the Apostle Paul :
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. [1 Cor 1:18]
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which[a] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.. [Gal 6:14]
Thank God for the cross. Like the words to that old song says:
“I will cherish the old rugged cross
Til my trophies at last I lay down.
I will cling to that old rugged cross
And exchange it someday for a crown.”
Go forth. Make disciples. Instruct them in the Clear Call of the Cross; the Conditional Call of the Cross; the Costly Call of the Cross; the Continual Call of the Cross and the Conquering Call of the Cross. In so doing you will be preparing sold-out men and women of God, ready to reap the end time harvest of God!
If we are going to go from great in Gods Eyes then we are going to make great sacrifices. And we do that daily.
It is not a one-time offering and we are done. It is a life time commitment to a savior who offers us eternal life.
Posted by David Whitten on July 16, 2011 under Sermons |
Pray Great Prayers
Matthew 6:9-13
Prayer is an activity that most Christians struggle with. Our challenge is to pray great prayers but admittedly most would be challenged to simply pray period.
Thankfully There’s an app for that! (show “Thy Phone” video from bluefish.tv http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NZsFs1-jXg )
But really pray is a real challenge.
For some it comes easy. I have been at awe to see seasoned deeply spiritual people pray.
Their words flow smoothly and passionately to a God they really love. They humbly and powerfully make requests to God and when they have finished you wouldn’t be surprised if a host of angels appeared and sang the halleluiah chorus.
I want my prayers to be that way don’t you?
- I want to pray to see a change.
- I want to pray and experience the true presence of our Living God.
- I want to pray with the confidence knowing that what I have requested in the name of Jesus will be done.
- I want to pray powerful selfless and deep prayers
- I want to pray like the new testament church prayed in Acts 4:31. When this group of believers had finished praying the place where they were meeting was literally shaken.
I think if we are going to learn to pray it would be best to learn from the very best.
If we are going to pray Great prayers then we are going to learn from Jesus.
This is not a new struggle the disciples struggled with this practice too. That’s why we see the disciples coming to Jesus in Luke:11:1 and ask him “Lord, teach us to pray” Jesus right there launches What is commonly known as the Lords prayer. We see this prayer more detailed in Matthew 6:9-13.
It is interesting that before Jesus teaches his disciples tow to pray in Matthew he teaches them how not to pray. Notice what he says in Matthew 6:5-8
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
- He tells them not to follow the examples of the outwardly righteous and inwardly rotten. Their motivation is to give only a show of holiness. They show off in public when they were praying. They dramatically show their false devotion.
- They show off using many words. This “show” of righteousness. Quite literally makes God sick
Is 1:15-18 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, 17 learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
God is honored by heart felt, honest humble prayer
To pray Great prayers lets start right.
After Jesus gives us an example of what does not honor God He models what prayer should be in the Words of The Lords Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13
It would be good to point out a couple of things about this “Lord’s Prayer”
- it is not a prayer that applies to the Lord at all so it is better titled the model prayer or the disciple’s prayer.
- It is not intended to be prayed verbatim as a mindless chant. It is a beautiful pattern for prayer that we are intended to learn and fashion our prayers to follow.
This morning as we learn to Pray Great Prayers Id like to break down this prayer and bring out the areas that will help us develop great prayers as we learn form the master.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
(and the NASB as well as the KJV include. This is not included in some earlier mansucripts ) [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]
1. If we are going to Pray Great Prayers then when we pray we are going to take a Personal Approach
Jesus starts with the address of who is praying to and he call God “Father”. This is not all to uncommon for Jesus. In Jesus’ prayers he often called God, “Father”. What is uncommon is that is not what most rabbis , teachers of the law or even the patriarchs called God. Jesus is showing a personal relationship that we should approach God on a personal level.
The fact that he calls God “Father” shows a unique relationship that those in the family are privileged to call him.
- Associates in a professional arena who have a professional relationship call me Mr. Whitten.
- I have friends from college who call me Mutumbo.
- Folks in the church call me Dave, Mr. Dave, Big Daddy Dave, while others introduce me as their minister, preacher, some have called me pastor. Others in the church have even called me reverend , (I don’t particularly like that term, but I have been called that).
- My parents call me son.
- My wife calls me Dave I call her honey or babe or sweet heart.
- My children call me dad or daddy.
There is a sense of priority I give to those in my family over those in the church, friends or those I have a professional relationship with. When my children come to me with sincerity. They have my attention. There is very little that I would not do for them if they had a need and asked my for help. I want to Give them what they want. It makes me happy to see their needs fulfilled.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God as “Our Father”. He is able to give beyond our greatest imagination.
Eph 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Jesus starts with “Our Father” because he will meet the needs of his children. And that is what we are. His children and heirs of his kingdom
Ro 8:16-17 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
2. Next to pray great prayers we have to recognize his high place
Jesus said “our Father in Heaven”
Jesus recognizes his high exalted place. Not just to identify our heavenly father opposed to our earthly father but to place God in his rightful position. He is high and lifted up. He is the one and only God and Father in Heaven. In him alone do we trust.
3. To Pray Great Prayers we need to honor God’s Holiness.
Jesus said “Hallowed be your name”. It is important to recognize that God is perfectly holy. God in all parts of his triune existence holds the unique distinction to be holy.
We talk about the holy land, but it really isn’t holy. It is shattered and divided and corrupted. The pope and preachers are called holy men. But they are really aren’t holy people because they are people who are sinners who have fallen woefully short of Gods divine example.
Only God is holy. He alone deserves that title. In fact, we are told that in heaven this very declaration is announced over and over again.
Rev 4:8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
You cannot speak about holiness with our recognizing the utter goodness it reflects and the complete righteousness of God. Holiness brings with it a total purity that is God’s alone. Holiness is a term of exaltation that is uniquely God’s.
There is quite literally no higher praise we can give Him that would reflect who he is in his essence.
Truly Holy is his name.
So in praying great prayers we must pause and adore him in his hallowed name.
4. To pray great prayers we must approach God with our mind and heart set on His Kingdom.
Jesus’ next phrase is “Your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”
We often pray with our agenda and ignore Gods plan and will. We tend to treat God like he is some holy genie. We rub the lamp and ask him to grant our wishes.
Larry Bryant sang a song about this back in the late 80’s it reflects this genie in the lamp view of God – Never ending shopping list
(CHORUs)
GIVE ME THIS, I WANT THAT
BLESS ME LORD I PRAY
GRANT ME WHAT I THINK I NEED TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE DAY
MAKE ME WEALTHY, KEEP ME HEALTHY
FILL IN WHAT I MISSED
ON MY NEVER-ENDING SHOPPING LIST
If we are going to prayer great prayers then we are going to keep focus on Gods will and kingdom. Jesus said if we want our needs met then we must seek his kingdom first Mat 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Pride, selfishness, arrogance and self righteousness are attitudes that God abhors. It is best to a line our lives with the will of God. This will take some transformation and changing of our minds. But when we do we can know his perfect and pleasing plan and purposes.
Ro 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Lets’ seek him on his terms and we will find ourselves praying great and powerful prayers.
5. Praying Great Prayers means we Ask God for the things we need.
Jesus says next Give us our Daily bread.
From this we learn to trust God for the provisions.
Later in his sermon the mount Jesus teaches us not to worry about our needs because God provides for us. Listen to his wisdom
Matt 6: 25-27 “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?
We often spend much time worrying about things that God has already planned for and yet we wring our hands over the things that God had promised to take care of for us.
If we are going to Pray Great Prayers then we are going to trust in God’s provision
6. Next if we are going to Pray Great Prayers then we will need to seek to forgive others as much as we desire to be forgiven
Jesus says “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors”
From Jesus teachings it is indicated that our relationships with others need to be in order before we can come to God with our pleadings.
Jesus taught earlier in this sermon on the mount that if you are standing in line with your offerings and you have an unsolved issue with another person then (as Jesus instructed) “First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” Mat 5:28
God clearly expects us to reflect the grace we expect from him on the others we interact with. Matt 7:1-2 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Jesus teaches us to come to our heavenly father pleading forgiveness and he expects us to follow up that plea with a show of mercy to our offenders
7. Lastly, if we are going to Pray Great Prayers then we need to pursue righteousness and holiness
Jesus words here are “lead us not in to temptation but deliver us from evil”.
These first words of this phrase are more properly stated help us avoid temptation. It is not God who brings temptation James tells that God is not tempted be evil nor does he temptation any one. James further explains that each of us are dragged away by the sinful desires that live in us.
Paul teaches us in 1 cor. 10:13 that No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
The promise is here that when we are faced with a choice to do evil there is always a way out and the further promise that we will face nothing that we can’t handle.
Praying Great prayers will be addressed that God will help us in our time of need. We know that we are not alone when faced spiritual struggles.
It is one of Gods greatest desires for us to walk in righteousness. He will aid in the one who’s heart is set on following in obedience.
If we are going to Pray Great Prayers then we are going to pursue righteousness and holiness
In order to crank up our good to great meter in our prayer life means that while we pray we are going to seek to address some or all of these qualities in our prayers.
Why not use this is the pattern that the master of prayers has set for an example for us to follow.
1. Take a Personal Approach
2. Recognize his High Place
3. Honor God’s Holiness.
4. Approach God with our mind and heart set on His Kingdom.
5. Ask God for the Things We Need.
6. Seek to Forgive Others as Much as we Desire to be forgiven
7. We need to Pursue righteousness and Holiness
Posted by David Whitten on under Sermons |
(Adapted form Chip Ingaim’s “Good to Great in God’s Eyes”)
Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Life consists of what a man is thinking about all day.”
James Allen said “You are today where your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.”
God Commands Great Thinking
Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi emphasizes the importance of great thoughts. Throughout the course of the letter he urges the Philippians to think of themselves as citizens of heaven, to be joyful. to have a mind of humility; not to have a complaining attitude, not to be intimidated by their adversaries, and so on. Chapter 4 especially addresses the believer’s thought life.
Paul helps a couple of church members resolve a conflict and reminds them to rejoice in everything. He acknowledges that there will be difficulties in life accompanied by anxiety and fear but he tells them to respond by getting rid of anxiety and turning to thankful prayer.
The result will be the kind of peace that transcends all understanding or human knowledge.
Having dealt with the negative thoughts surrounding difficulties in life, Paul then turns to a more positive approach; “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Phil- 4:8 NIV).
Looking at the word “Think”. We find the word in Greek best translated “dwell”. It means “to deduce, to reason, to calculate, to ponder, to deliberate to analyze or consider in deep thought. It implies thinking about a matter long enough to take into account its character and realize its implications for your life.
Paul is telling believers that whatever is characterized by these godly qualities is worthy of a lot of active meditation.
In other words, he tells them to think great thoughts.
Lets take a look at each of those words Paul uses in his description of great thoughts:
True –First Paul calls us to ponder on things that are true. Things that are true are important to God. Jesus is identified in John 4:16 as “The Way The Truth and The Light”. This the exact opposite of Satan who is the “prince of darkness “and the “father of lies”.. the truth glorifies God. Lies and deception dishonor him and push us in to utter darkness and separates us form the light who is Christ. .
Before you put something in your mind, ask yourself: “Is this true?”
Noble -this word also means “worthy of respect.”It refers to those things that are of high honor and reflect the purposes of a believers life. Before that movie. commercial.
or conversation goes into your mind, ask yourself : Does
this honor God and reflect his purposes for me? Is this Noble?
Right- the word implies justice and righteousness- There are very things that we do wrong that we are ignorant of the rightness or wrongness of the matter. These are will fil sins. David in Psalms 19:12-14 gives a beautiful plea asking God for discernment and the ability to keep him from “Willful sins” may this plea become our prayer
12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer
Before you spend time thinking about something, ask yourself: Is this right or wrong?
Pure –Purity brings with it a sense of Holiness it is to be free from defilement or immorality it carries the idea of internal integrity. Ask yourself, Am I thinking on
things that are pure and holy?
Lovely- this is my favorite word in the list. it means attractive, winsome, or beautiful. It pictures things that call forth a response of love and warmth from within us.
Ask yourself: Is my mind filled with beauty?
Admirable –the root of the word is to admire or to hold in high esteem. but its literal meaning is “fair speaking.” In other words, are these thoughts fit for Gods hearing?
Anything Excellent- with our mind set on excellent things we can’t help but be brought to the Excellent One. Excellent things are the best and compare only to God who is the best. Think of things that are excellent and you’ll be drawn to God
Worthy of Praise- this brings us to worship. Praise is not just done with music it is done in our declaring the goodness, the excellent and the greatness of our God, The Savior and the awesome Holy Spirit. Let’s let our minds naturally be drawn to praise.
What is Paul saying? Get your thoughts right and the emotions, behaviors, and consequences of peace will follow.
Romans 8:6 says that a mind set on the things of the flesh will bring forth death. but a mind set on the Spirit brings forth life and peace.
Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your mind on the things above. not on the things that are on earth” (NASB).
And Peter tells his readers to prepare their minds for action
(1 Peter 1:l3) We are to get in the habit of thinking the right thoughts.
You Are What You Think
What do you think about when you drive?
What do you listen to at home?
When the remote control is in your hand, what channels do you turn on and allow to flow into your mind?
If you feed your mind on a diet of mental junk food, your spiritual health will reflect it.
If, however; we feed your minds on a diet of eternal truths, the character of God, and everything else that is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise, our spiritual health will, over time, be stronger and more consistent than we ever thought possible.
We are people who have been called to be transformed.
Romans 12:2, tells us not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, then we will know the will of God.
God’s will for us is good and pleasing.
According to Scripture, we can only experience it through a renewed mind.
Sources of Great Thoughts
How do we begin to think great thoughts? In a world that overwhelms us with endless varieties of philosophies and values, where do we learn the thoughts of God?
- Start with Scripture. John 8:32 is key: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
It’s a familiar verse, If I want to be free of anxiety of fear, of the expectations of others, of habits that enslave me, I’ve got to saturate my mind with the truth.
I’m not simply talking about a Bible reading program. I’m talking about absorbing the
Word of God, thinking it over when you lie down and get up, and lingering in the depths of it.
Charles Spurgeon said, “Let us, dear brethren, try to get saturated with the gospel.” That’s how God wants to fill your heart and mind with the truth that is in Scripture.
We are like sponges, absorbing any billboard, magazine, movie, song, book, and so on, we’ll naturally take in a lot of deception along the way.
Thinking great thoughts is a deliberate, intentional process of informing our mind with truth.
It’s amazing to me that our culture can be so careful about physical nutrition and so mindless about the spiritual, intellectual, and emotional content of the ideas we consume.
I’m convinced that if we took half the care to guard our minds that we do to guard our bodies, in about live years we
- Dwell on great truths. In addition to Scripture, many people have learned
valuable truth from their experiences in life. One example is a famous quote by Jim Elliot, one of the five missionaries who died at the hands of the Aucas of Ecuador in the
1950’s “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep in order to
gain what he cannot lose.”
That’s a truth I don’t want to forget. I want to meditate on it and let it soak into my mind
Another example is a well-known prayer of St. Francis of Assisi who said:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy ….
and it goes on…
My mind is inevitably going to be filled with something; why not let it be filled with a prayer like that instead of a song on MTV, a half-hour of sports talk, the last commercial I saw, or the plot of tonight’s sitcom?
- Take time to notice beauty. Another source of great thoughts
is beauty. Take the time to take in the natural beauty that surrounds you. We live in a world of wonder we only need to be still long enough to notice it. When we do it results in glorifying of our God.
Psa 46:10 says
“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
Ps. 19:1
“The heavens declare the glory of God”.
It’s impossible to dwell on the beauty of creation and continue to be self-absorbed.
Great thoughts about the Promise always lead to great thoughts about the promises. Remember for example, that the one who said all power in heaven an
earth had been given to him is the one who said he goes with u
until the end of the age (Matt. 28: 18-20).
Some Practical Tips to Get You Started
- Memorize and meditate on Scripture. This isn’t an “ought to” that will make you
feel incredibly guilty if you don’t.
It should be a “want to” that you can have fun with. Write down some verses on index cards, stick them in your pocket, and read them over whenever you have a little
down time waiting in line or between meetings. Take a look at them before you go to bed and when you wake up in the morning-make them the first and last thing you
put in your mind each day.
- Use your drive time. Do you really need to hear the latest sports talk or
meaningless music? Listen to tapes of the Bible, or let your mind enjoy some silence while you ponder deep truths.
- Listen to great music. There’s a connection between music and our emotions that
I don’t really understand, but the scriptural basis for making music is undeniable. The command to sing occurs surprisingly often, and David’s music was able to soothe Saul’s restless spirit. Refreshing and uplifting music can set the course your mind will follow.
- Take walks in nature. Go somewhere beautiful, even if it’s in your own backyard.
Wherever you live, you can find some aspect of nature to enjoy as you
marvel creation.
- Personalize scriptural truth and promises. Write down some
passages that address your specific issues, even writing
your name in place of whatever pronouns the passage
uses. Make it personal and applicable to your individual struggles and needs.
When the truth resonates with your heart, you’ll notice your
emotions changing and you’ll End yourself motivated to do
things that surprise you. Thinking great thoughts will be just
the first step in a radically changed life. Set your mind on the
things above, dwell on whatever is true and honorable and
right. And the God of peace will be with you.
1. One day this week, End a spot where you can focus on
creation. Consider the wisdom that God put into all the
details of this world. Think about the power that created it
out of nothing. Look up into the sky and try to wrap your
mind around the distance between you and the farthest
galaxy. Let the magnificence of the universe remind you of
the awesome nature of God and the small (by comparison)
and temporary nature of your problems.
2. As much as possible, isolate yourself from media for forty-
eight hotu’s this week. Substitute time you would nor-
mally spend reading the newspapen watching Tv reading
a magazine, and so on with listening to praise music. Let
nothing but praise and worship enter your ears. At the end
of your forty-eight-hour media fast, try to notice whether
your perspective and attitude have changed at all.
3. Memorize Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever is
true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely whatever is of good repute, if
there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,
dwell on these things” (NASB).
Posted by David Whitten on July 7, 2011 under Uncategorized |
If you ask the average person what their idea of success is
they will tell you that is to do the very best at what they do.
Shouldn’t that be our Goal as Christians? Shouldn’t we offer our very best to the God who gave us His very best?
May we not be satisfied with a mediocre Christianity.
Let’s go from good to great in the eyes of God. In this series we will be challenged to:
- Think Great Thoughts
- Pray Great Prayers
- Make Great Sacrifices and
- Develop Great Habits
Don’t miss a Sunday this July while we Go from Good to Great in God’s eyes!
