Free Your Mind - All In #3

All In #3, by Joseph Barkley, can by found here.

I don't want to write too much, because these notes below have a lot of good information from the sermon - please read and consider them. I will say, though, that as I revisit this sermon, something feels missing...

Renewing your mind is a bit of an abstract concept, and even though Joseph gives some practical insights below, applying ideas that aren't concrete or fully understood seems like an empty practice. Sometimes depending on Jesus as a person even seems too abstract to accomplish, but what God's been teaching me lately is that scripture is where to begin on this.

If you're struggling with something, lack direction or feel like you're missing out on Jesus as a person, go to the bible. Really study, deep and thoughtful. Ponder the words, whether you understand them or not. Pray about them. God will show up. I promise. I'm going through it now, and it's funny how simple it can be, but also how easy it is to ignore God's word in your life (as if there is some kind of enemy keeping you from it...hmm...?).

Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform 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."


Notes:

• Worship = a fixation on something that re-orients our lives; a way of responding that is all in
• God wants to change your life
• Think about the gravity of that principle -- He doesn't just want to add to life, He wants to alter your existence
• God urges us to be different
• Say "no" to the world
• Say "yes" to God's principles
• Two reason to do this:
• "...you will be able to test and approve God's will..."
• God wants to give us an increased capacity to know what He's thinking
• "...you will be transformed"
• Same verb used here for the transfiguration of Jesu
• Jesus revealed the glory of who He is
• God will reveal who you really are -- there is a version of you you don't even know yet
• This is more than just saying no to sex, drugs and rock-and-roll
• We could clean up our behavior and never be changed
• To change your life, change your mind
• Changing our mind involves changing our thought patterns
• Three thought patterns that we're born with with:
• Autonomy: we can do what we want, when we want and we are not accountable; we are alone in the universe, left up to our own devices
• Our culture really reinforces this
• This leads us to demand God to explain Himself to us
• We want to be the arbiter of our relationship to God
• Desire: what I want must be what I need; what I want is who I am
• This says that anything else is oppressive and restrictive
• It's destructive to be slave to your desire
• The loneliest moment is when we get everything we want and it's still not enough
• Ecclesiastes 2:11 - "But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless--like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere."
  
• What desire do I have that God must deliver to prove that He loves me?
• Could even be a good thing..."she noticed that the fruit looked good." (Genesis 3:6)
• What we're really saying is, "I want that thing more than God."
• This eventually leads to disappointment...what we want isn't always what we need
• Moment: What we do right now does not have any lasting effect on the future.
• This says that my action or inaction today won't matter long term
• God wants us to be present, but also make the most of the present
• Today will one day be your past...is this the story that you want your future self to be able to tell?
• You know that your present will one day be your past, so why not create a different past for your future by changing your present?
• If these thought patterns are taken together, there is nothing you cannot justify
• God wants to save us from this delusion
• How do you change your mind?
• God's provided everything we need to change our minds
• Practice dependence on God
• Ask God to make your mind newer
• Celebrate what God's already done
• God's already given His Son, so why not trust Him?
• Never get over this
• Take control over education
• Everything we consume is education
• Stay in scripture every day
• Be an active participant in the patterns of today -- engage with culture (converse, challenge, see beauty in)
• Expect a journey
• This is an ongoing process
• This takes time...but God wants to spend time with us
• God is on time -- you are right where He wants you
• Transformation begins on the inside

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