Learning Christ, the Mind Renewal Process
Remember: Before Christ, our minds and hearts were futile, living only for a “life” that is at best, an animated death. Our understanding was darkened, and we were alienated from the Life of God (that happens to be Eternal Life), because of the ignorance that was in us because of the hardening of our hearts. Ephesians 4:17-19
Ephesians 4:20 “BUT YOU HAVE NOT SO LEARNED CHRIST.”!!!
This is the Divinely ordained and ordered process whereby we may grow in grace and the KNOWLEDGE of the Lord Jesus Christ. (II Peter 3:17) This is the Divine Process of “strengthening through His Spirit in our inner man, that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. (Ephesians 3:16-17)
1. This is not the assimilation of information about Christ!!! Ps 139:6
a. Ephesians 4:21
1. This is hearing our Christ Himself in His Word. This is what Hebrews 1:1 is talking about!!! Jesus Christ is God’s Word to us. Word is His very Name in John 1:1&14
2. This is being taught by our Jesus Himself!!! We settle for too many “go betweens’. Be careful,
however, He doesn’t minister His Truth to our futile minds that lust after
information. Remember our Lord’s first recorded words? (Matt 5:1-12) The Blessed are those who have learned to sit at His Feet. The character of the Blessed ones has nothing to do with natural human characteristics. This is Spirit wrought transformation. 3. Notice, “as the Truth is in Jesus”, not merely about Jesus. Remember John 14:6 “I am the Way, the TRUTH, and the life.” Jesus doesn’t merely tell us the truth, He is the VERY TRUTH ITSELF!!!
John 14:6 And what is the purpose of Jesus Christ being the TRUTH?
To bring us to the Father!!! “No one comes to the Father except through (KJV but by) Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.” John 14:6-11
1. Hebrews 1:2 Remember: He is the Brightness of the Father’s Glory and the express image of His Person.” If you learn Jesus, you Learn the Father as well!!! I think we could say that Jesus is more than just truth about the Father, Jesus is the Truth that is the Father
Personified!!!
2. John 17:3 Why is this so crucial? Because this intimate Relational Knowledge is what Eternal life is!!! “and this is Life Eternal, that they may know You, the only true God and Jesus Christ Whom you have sent.”
I John 5:20 But how can we mere mortals who have “lived” in pure futility all our days be
brought into such soul transforming truth?
1. “and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an Understanding, that we may know Him Who is TRUE: and we are in Him Who is TRUE, (even-KJV) in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the TRUE GOD AND ETERNAL LIFE!!!”
2. Eternal Life is dwelling in this continual, growing, ever expanding Relational Knowledge of Jesus Christ, Whom to know is to know the Father!!!
3. And this UNDERSTANDING from above is the only means by which we have Eternal Life and can Live in Him.
Romans 8:5-15 1. Notice verse 9—the difference between Life and death(futility) is the indwelling Holy Spirit.
2. Vs 11-13 The only means for Life to dwell in our mortal bodies, to put to death the deeds that characterize our futile existence, is the Father’s giving Life to our mortal bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in us!!!
3. Vs 14-17 And the Indwelling Spirit does this incredible work by “convincing us” that we are the Sons and Daughters of God in Christ Jesus. We belong in the Family, and there is no possibility of divorce or “shunning” in this Family!!!
Ephesians 3:14-21 I believe that this is the process that Paul expands on in this text.
1. This is the Father’s work, it is His idea, plan and outworking. Vs 14-16a
2. He does it by His Spirit. Vs 16b
3. He does it ONLY THROUGH CHRIST dwelling in our hearts through faith—that is the foundation of it all—the Love that the Father has for the Son in all Eternity. Vs 17
4. The process works by the increasing knowledge of the Eternal Love the Father has for the Son and the Son for the Father (John 17:20-26) to the goal and reality that we become “filled with the fullness of God”. Only the Holy Spirit can bring this about.
5. This is because Jesus Christ is the “Fullness of the Godhead bodily!!! And we are complete IN HIM!!! (Colossians 2:9-10)
I Corinthians 2:6-16
1 God reveals the incredible “things” of God through His Spirit.
2 NO ONE KNOWS THE THINGS OF GOD EXCEPT THE SPIRIT OF GOD!!!
3 We have received the SPIRIT WHO IS FROM GOD.
4 Why? That we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
5 We learn to know these things, not with man’s wisdom, but by the Holy Spirit’s teaching!!! Vs 13
6 The natural man can not receive the things of the Spirit of God!!!
7 Vs 16 BUT WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST!! WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT
WARNING: Beware of assuming that all our thoughts of God and His Word are therefore
automatically of the Spirit. NO! Because of or remaining flesh and our extensive training in the world, we must be aware that every thought must be brought into captivity (II Corinthians 10:3-5) and our minds must be transformed in order that we may know what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. And that is the constant and continual work of the Holy Spirit. He is the Gift of the Father at the request of the Son (John 14:16-18) and is the operant “heart” of the New Covenant (Ezekiel 36:26-28), the only “Means” by which we can grow in the Grace and Knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord.
Remember: Before Christ, our minds and hearts were futile, living only for a “life” that is at best, an animated death. Our understanding was darkened, and we were alienated from the Life of God (that happens to be Eternal Life), because of the ignorance that was in us because of the hardening of our hearts. Ephesians 4:17-19
Ephesians 4:20 “BUT YOU HAVE NOT SO LEARNED CHRIST.”!!!
This is the Divinely ordained and ordered process whereby we may grow in grace and the KNOWLEDGE of the Lord Jesus Christ. (II Peter 3:17) This is the Divine Process of “strengthening through His Spirit in our inner man, that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. (Ephesians 3:16-17)
1. This is not the assimilation of information about Christ!!! Ps 139:6
a. Ephesians 4:21
1. This is hearing our Christ Himself in His Word. This is what Hebrews 1:1 is talking about!!! Jesus Christ is God’s Word to us. Word is His very Name in John 1:1&14
2. This is being taught by our Jesus Himself!!! We settle for too many “go betweens’. Be careful,
however, He doesn’t minister His Truth to our futile minds that lust after
information. Remember our Lord’s first recorded words? (Matt 5:1-12) The Blessed are those who have learned to sit at His Feet. The character of the Blessed ones has nothing to do with natural human characteristics. This is Spirit wrought transformation. 3. Notice, “as the Truth is in Jesus”, not merely about Jesus. Remember John 14:6 “I am the Way, the TRUTH, and the life.” Jesus doesn’t merely tell us the truth, He is the VERY TRUTH ITSELF!!!
John 14:6 And what is the purpose of Jesus Christ being the TRUTH?
To bring us to the Father!!! “No one comes to the Father except through (KJV but by) Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.” John 14:6-11
1. Hebrews 1:2 Remember: He is the Brightness of the Father’s Glory and the express image of His Person.” If you learn Jesus, you Learn the Father as well!!! I think we could say that Jesus is more than just truth about the Father, Jesus is the Truth that is the Father
Personified!!!
2. John 17:3 Why is this so crucial? Because this intimate Relational Knowledge is what Eternal life is!!! “and this is Life Eternal, that they may know You, the only true God and Jesus Christ Whom you have sent.”
I John 5:20 But how can we mere mortals who have “lived” in pure futility all our days be
brought into such soul transforming truth?
1. “and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an Understanding, that we may know Him Who is TRUE: and we are in Him Who is TRUE, (even-KJV) in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the TRUE GOD AND ETERNAL LIFE!!!”
2. Eternal Life is dwelling in this continual, growing, ever expanding Relational Knowledge of Jesus Christ, Whom to know is to know the Father!!!
3. And this UNDERSTANDING from above is the only means by which we have Eternal Life and can Live in Him.
Romans 8:5-15 1. Notice verse 9—the difference between Life and death(futility) is the indwelling Holy Spirit.
2. Vs 11-13 The only means for Life to dwell in our mortal bodies, to put to death the deeds that characterize our futile existence, is the Father’s giving Life to our mortal bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in us!!!
3. Vs 14-17 And the Indwelling Spirit does this incredible work by “convincing us” that we are the Sons and Daughters of God in Christ Jesus. We belong in the Family, and there is no possibility of divorce or “shunning” in this Family!!!
Ephesians 3:14-21 I believe that this is the process that Paul expands on in this text.
1. This is the Father’s work, it is His idea, plan and outworking. Vs 14-16a
2. He does it by His Spirit. Vs 16b
3. He does it ONLY THROUGH CHRIST dwelling in our hearts through faith—that is the foundation of it all—the Love that the Father has for the Son in all Eternity. Vs 17
4. The process works by the increasing knowledge of the Eternal Love the Father has for the Son and the Son for the Father (John 17:20-26) to the goal and reality that we become “filled with the fullness of God”. Only the Holy Spirit can bring this about.
5. This is because Jesus Christ is the “Fullness of the Godhead bodily!!! And we are complete IN HIM!!! (Colossians 2:9-10)
I Corinthians 2:6-16
1 God reveals the incredible “things” of God through His Spirit.
2 NO ONE KNOWS THE THINGS OF GOD EXCEPT THE SPIRIT OF GOD!!!
3 We have received the SPIRIT WHO IS FROM GOD.
4 Why? That we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
5 We learn to know these things, not with man’s wisdom, but by the Holy Spirit’s teaching!!! Vs 13
6 The natural man can not receive the things of the Spirit of God!!!
7 Vs 16 BUT WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST!! WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT
WARNING: Beware of assuming that all our thoughts of God and His Word are therefore
automatically of the Spirit. NO! Because of or remaining flesh and our extensive training in the world, we must be aware that every thought must be brought into captivity (II Corinthians 10:3-5) and our minds must be transformed in order that we may know what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. And that is the constant and continual work of the Holy Spirit. He is the Gift of the Father at the request of the Son (John 14:16-18) and is the operant “heart” of the New Covenant (Ezekiel 36:26-28), the only “Means” by which we can grow in the Grace and Knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord.