Praying for “the Mind of Christ”

Rosedale Baptist Church: Sunday morning, September 29, 2013

Introduction

One word captures the essence of our age: DISTRACTED

– we are more caught up with the spirit of the world than with the spirit of the Lord

• when you have done something / said something ridiculous… (going to say “have you ever…”)
• upon a momentary reflection say:
  • “I don’t know why I said that…”
  • “I don’t know why I did that…”
  • “I don’t know what I was thinking!”
• the truth is you weren’t THINKING at all…

1 Corinthians 2:16 “‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”

We have the mind of Christ: we just aren’t using it!

It doesn’t always feel like it, does it…?

If we have it, then why aren’t we using it?

Why is it that we often think and act like a “natural person”?

Romans 8:9 “…you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you…”

How can we act and think like a spiritual person? How can we tap into the wisdom and the power offered to us as children of God, who have the mind of Christ?

What does it mean to have the mind of Christ?

• a pastor friend of mine defines it this way: “learning to think about things, everything including God Himself, the way the Man Christ Jesus does.”

We need to learn to think like Christ so that we can live like Christ.

The way we think directly impacts the way we act.

Philippians 2:5-8 “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.”

Mind, attitude, mindset lead to obedient action

Mind of Christ: “learning to think about things, everything including God Himself, the way the Man Christ Jesus does.”

Jesus didn’t simply teach us how to live: he lived as a man.

**There are a number of ways to learn to think about things the way Christ does so that we can learn to live the way Christ did—this morning we will examine one: PRAYER

Praying like Jesus leads to Thinking like Jesus

Jesus was a man of prayer:

Mk 6:46 “And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.”

Luke 5:16 “But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.”

Luke 6:12 “In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayerto God.”

Mk 1:35 “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”

To Jesus, prayer is no incidental formality

• regular, devoted times of private and public prayer
• prayer is essential for Jesus’ obedience to His heavenly Father
• essential to acting in accordance to God’s Will

To the Apostle Paul, prayer is not a peripheral topic or an add-on to the business of Christian living… PRAYER is at the heart of Living Like Christ…

™ “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

™ “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.”  (1 Timothy 2:8)

™ Paul concludes the list of the putting on the armour of GOD in Ephesians with a call to pray: “praying at all times in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18)

Fortunately Jesus taught us how to pray…

™ Matthew 6:9-13

1. [PERSONAL GOD] PRAYER teaches us that…

v.9 “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…”

…our God is a personal God… a Father who listens… a Holy God…

• [Mind of Christ: “learning to think about things, everything including God Himself, the way the Man Christ Jesus does.”]

A Christian is someone who is a follower of Christ, the God-Man—not just Christian ideas—but theperson of Christ. We are part of the everlasting, eternal, and living body of Christ.

PRAYING to your heavenly FATHER reinforces this truth: Christianity is not just a “good idea”… it is about knowing a GOOD GOD

PRAYER isn’t some magical ritual; prayer simply instills in us the true that our God is a

• personal God…
• Father who listens…
• Holy God…
• [Mind of Christ: “learning to think about things, everything including God Himself, the way the Man Christ Jesus does.”]

2. PRAYER is God’s way… of involving us in what He is doing… His Will

v.10 “Your kingdom come your will be done”

When we long for His will… we live for His will…

God doesn’t need prayer to act; he doesn’t need us to accomplish his purposes…

YET he chooses to accomplish his purposes through our prayers and through service!

• GOD uses the weak to accomplish his purposes (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)

– as you pray for the Will of God to be done, you will begin to see His will being done!

™ “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:22)

™ “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16)

Mind of Christ: “not my will, but thine, be done!” (Luke 22:42 KJV)

3. PRAYER teaches us that… we cannot do anything apart from Him!

v.11 “Give us this day our daily bread…”

God doesn’t need a grocery list of things we need; He knows what we need

**prayer is for us to realise what we need

™ Jesus said, “I can do nothing on my own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgement is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” (John 5:30)

™ “with God all things are possible” (Matt 19:20)

4. PRAYER is God’s way of… conforming us to His Will…

v.12-13 “…and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Before Jesus was “obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross” he went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray…

™ And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, ”Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.“  Mark 14:35-36

Ardent prayer always precedes faithful obedience

• how shall I proceed? asking for His guidance is a means of receiving guidance—how often has the Spirit brought clarity during times of ardent prayer?
• plan, purpose, and perspective of Christ all come into focus

We are sometimes downplay prayer because it is too “open-ended” and may lead to spiritual wackiness

Or sometimes we are afraid to pray, because we think God may not answer and thus weaken our faith

cp. Jesus’ prayer: take this cup!

– PRAY: you have the mind of Christ

– How can you hate your neighbour while praying to God about him or her? Prayer conforms you to His Will to love your neighbour as yourself

Praying like Jesus leads to Thinking like Jesus Thinking like Jesus leads to Living like Jesus