PART 4 WHAT IS A MIND SET?
What is a “mind-set”?
A “mind-set” is a fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person's responses to and interpretations of situations.
In biblical words, Ephesians 4:21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus,
22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,
23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
And why should you have this “mind-set”, this way of thinking?
3 For you have died
and your life
is hidden
with Christ
in God.
it is so hard to contain a profound spiritual truth in a body of flesh.
it is so hard to live as a citizen of heaven when you feel bound to this earth.
It is so hard to realize your spiritual identity when you are hidden with Christ who is in God.
Yet that is exactly where we are the most secure and the most useful to God.
Hidden with Christ in God.
You, a seemingly worthless penny, are hidden in the safety deposit box which is Jesus the Christ, who is hidden safely and securely and permanently in Almighty God who is the “safest” safe place in all of creation.
AND HOW DID ALL OF THIS COME ABOUT?
1 Peter 1:2 who are chosen,
To be chosen means to be “picked out”.
You, one single person, in a whole world of people was hand picked by God to be invited to know Him, invited to be a part of His family, invited to be included in on His plans and desires not only for you, but for the whole world.
God picked you, to be adopted into His loving, close knit family.
(What a load of crap that last line was….)
(God is loving, but His family? Ha!)
God picked you to be His adopted son or daughter.
God picked you because He wants to hear you call Him Abba,
Father, Daddy…
CHOSEN also means “elect”
that means to be elected to divine mercy and favor.
Not only are you chosen to KNOW GOD,
not only are you chosen to BE ADOPTED BY GOD,
not only are you chosen to KNOW GOD’S PLANS,
not only are you chosen to BE AN OBJECT OF GOD’S DESIRE,
but you are “elected” to that position
by the only one who’s vote really counts,
by the only one who has the power and might to enable you to fulfill and stand in the position that He has chosen and elected you to fill.
AND HOW DOES GOD ENABLE AND EMPOWER YOU TO FULFILL AND STAND IN SUCH AN EXALTED POSITION?
First of all, your being chosen was
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
this means that God had fore thought about you and His purpose’s for you.
FORE THOUGHT is “preparation or thought for the future”
This means that God has been thinking about you long before He made contact with you.
This means that God has been planning out your life long before you even knew that He existed.
YOU KNOW GOD BECAUSE GOD PLANNED AND PREPARED FOR YOU TO KNOW HIM.
YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD MAY BE A SURPRISE TO YOU, BUT IT IS NO COINCIDENCE WITH GOD.
Just like when you first noticed that special person in your life, and you thought to yourself, “what a babe” or “what a stud”, and then you decided to start pursuing them, God not only saw you first and desired to have a relationship with you, but God had already planned your meeting, designed your body, soul and spirit, and caused all the events to unfold that would bring you to a saving knowledge of Him. And He did it through His best friend and buddy the Holy Spirit.
Take notice, be aware that YOU are chosen according to the fore-knowledge of the FATHER.
Second, your being chosen is
By the sanctifying work of the SPIRIT,
Sanctifying is “consecration and purification for the purpose of serving a deity”
This work is performed and accomplished by
The Holy Spirit.
Sanctification takes place in your heart and in your life.
Sanctification takes place in your flesh and in your spirit.
There are two basic events of sanctification;
The first being “POSITIONAL SANCTIFICATION”,
When you accept Jesus as your Savior, not only do you become born again, you also experience a “Positional Sanctification.”
Holy means “set apart”, you are made Holy means that you are now set apart for God.
This event is instantaneous. It is a result of you accepting God’s grace filled gift of salvation.
This instant transformation happened through the working of the Holy Spirit in your life.
Let’s read what Jesus says to His disciples before He goes back to Heaven…
John 16:7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;
10 and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;
11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.
12 I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
The second part of sanctification is called “PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION”.
Progressive Sanctification is a process of becoming holy (set apart) in your thoughts and actions, in your words and deeds.
This Progressive Sanctification is not accomplished by your good thoughts or good actions, it is not accomplished by your good words or good deeds.
Progressive Sanctification, being made holy, is only accomplished by and through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Listen to what Jesus says about the work of the Holy Spirit.
John 16:13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
15 All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.
Lets read what Paul says in Romans 8:28-31
Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these things?
If God is for us, who is against us?
You have been chosen by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.
You are sanctified; meaning that you have been consecrated and purified, you have been made an object of honor, for the purpose of you serving a deity, and that deity is God Himself.
Grab that.
1. God chose you
2. God chose you according to His foreknowledge
3. God chose you to be sanctified
4. God chose you to be consecrated and purified
5. God chose you to make you holy
6. God chose you to set you aside for a special purpose
7. God chose you to serve Him
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