Disciplines of a Godly Man Men s Bible Study 8 December 11 Lesson #6-Discipline of Mind Introduction: There is an organ in the body that is about the

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1 Disciplines of a Godly Man Men s Bible Study 8 December 11 Lesson #6-Discipline of Mind Introduction: There is an organ in the body that is about the size of a small head of cauliflower This organ has power over many different tasks in our bodies o It controls body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate and breathing o It accepts a flood of information about the world around us o It handles physical motion when walking, talking, standing or sitting o It lets us think, dream, reason and experience emotions Which organ is it? Our brains o Each and every day your brain is activating thought modules which enable you to interact with the world It tells you when it is time to eat It helps you compute the speed of vehicles as you are trying to cross the street to determine if there is enough time to get across safely It helps you to appreciate a beautiful flower or beautiful scenery Our minds have been compared to 1,000 switchboards, each big enough to serve New York City, all running at full speed as they receive and send information There is not a computer made that can even come close to accomplishing all that the human brain can A human being has about 100 billion brain cells(neurons) Approximate times a neuron can fire about 200 times a second Approximately 1000 neurons connected to each neuron A human brain's probable processing power is around 100 teraflops or approximately 100 trillion calculations per second For the believer the mind of Christ o 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. For the believer a mind that is constantly being renewed o Romans 12:2- Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Consider the loss of appetite most believers have for God o Church attendance o Ministry outreach When our minds are not being renewed by God s truth then they are unguarded and susceptible to things which are detrimental and counter-sanctification The Scriptures point to the truth that our minds are the anchor of our heart 1

2 God wants us to keep our minds: Philippians 4:8-9 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. There are six things in this text that Paul sets forth for us to practice Whatever is true o God s Word is truth John 17:17- Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. John 14:6- Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. o If we are to live as those who have the truth of God and not the falsehood of the world then we will change our thinking so that it no longer engages in those things which are irrational but will rationally foster thoughts that proceed from God and not sinful man Whatever is honorable o Honorable comes from the Greek word semna meaning to worship or revere o When our thoughts are reverent they are dignified, serious and holy in origin o Titus 2:2- Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. o Titus 2:7-8 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. o As believers we should think thoughts that are characterized by a moral reality that surpasses anything that this world would call dignified 2 Peter 1:5- For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, Whatever is just o What we deem as just or right is often seen through eyes of selfishness and self-preservation o When we become believers our definition of what is right or fair changes because it is no longer defined by our character but by the character of God Whatever is pure o The word pure comes from the Greek word hagna -pure things are those things that do not contaminate oneself or others o We are to have thoughts that are morally pure o We should not harbor thoughts that are sinful or dishonorable to God Psalms 12:6- The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times. Proverbs 20:11- Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright. 2

3 Do your mental deeds lead you to do things that are morally good or bad? Whatever is lovely o When our thoughts are ethically beautiful they produce peace o Means to be agreeable with one another and not irritable in how we think about things o When people talk with you what do they take away from your conversations? o Do they see you as someone that they enjoy being with? o A mind that is lovely is neither unkind, nor does it have the disposition of finding fault with everything o A lovely mind thinks thoughts of reconciliation and not divisiveness o A lovely mind knows the truth but does not use that as an occasion to cause a brother to stumble or as leverage for one s own personal agenda Whatever is commendable o Do people see you as someone who is well-spoken of? o When people talk to you, do the things which proceed from your mouth speak from a mind that is of good report? o Proverbs 10:31-32 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. 32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse. o What proceeds out of our months should be those things which are commendable and a testimony to the Lord and not the precepts of the world Think about these things o Philippians 4:8- Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. o think about these things comes from the Greek word logizomai from which we get our mathematical word logarithm o Paul is calling us, with the same fortitude that it takes to figure out a mathematical problem, to focus our minds on these six elements of right thinking o Men, we need to be guarding our minds against the attacks of the evil one o We must fill our minds with the things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and commendable because we are those who now have the mind of Christ and have the capacity to live out our lives in obedience to God Philippians 4:9- What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. o Practice makes perfect We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle 3

4 Holiness of mind: The spiritual disciplines of holiness begin with the mind Proverbs 4:23- Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. As men we must be careful what we allow into our minds via the eyes and ears Your own mind is a sacred enclosure into which nothing harmful can enter except by your promotion. Ralph Waldo Emerson So we must lay down as fundamental to our Christianity this truth: a Christian mind demands conscious negation; a Christian mind is impossible without the discipline of refusal. (p. 73) Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds. Make boundaries and stick to them o Daniel 1:8- But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. Modern day media programming is one of the greatest enemies of the Christian mind o What do you allow in your home? o You are the gatekeeper of the home o Whatever you allow into your mind will infect your life and those in your home Intentional programming: It is good to keep things out of your mind which do not belong It is even better to put things into your mind that make positive changes Renewing of our minds happens by filling our lives with God s truth Ephesians 6:10-20 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. o The sword of the Spirit shapes and forms our minds o You can never have a Christian mind without reading the Scriptures regularly o Sunday sermon is good but not enough 4

5 o You must feed yourself, allowing God to teach you directly through His Word o Good Christian literature Dennis Prager-a Jewish radio talk show host said this: One thing I noticed about Evangelicals is that they do not read. They do not read the Bible, they do not read the great Christian thinkers, they have never heard of Aquinas. If they re Presbyterian, they've never read the founders of Presbyterianism. I do not understand that. As a Jew, that s confusing to me. The commandment of study is so deep in Judaism that we immerse ourselves in study. God gave us a brain, aren t we to use it in His service? When I walk into an Evangelical Christian s home and see a total of 30 books, most of them bestsellers, I do not understand. I have bookcases of Christian books, and I am a Jew. Why do I have more Christian books than 98 percent of the Christians in America? That is so bizarre to me. (p. 78) The more we study God s Word and the more we read Christian literature the more God develops a hunger to know Him more Charles Spurgeon Andrew Murray A.W. Tozer John Bunyan John Piper R.C. Sproul Ravi Zacharias Erwin Lutzer Alistair Begg John MacArthur 5