Mind of Christ Part 1

Rev Renny Khoo

28 June 2020

28 Jun 2020
Rev Renny Khoo
Sermon Outline
Topic: Developing the Mind of Christ
Text: Phil 2:5-11

During the MCO, questions that were in our minds may cause anxiety however with

the right frame of mind and looking at the situation in the right lenses enabled us to

make sense of all that were happening. Mindsets and world view are two words that

came out strongly during this period as what we think will affect what we see and will

eventually affect our behaviour and response to situations. Paul in the above

passage states that God commanded us that our mind should be like Christ Jesus.

The sermon will look at the mind of Christ and its impact on our minds and in the

coming week will deal with the process in developing our minds.

The above passage depicts the most complete picture of who Jesus is and what He

did which essentially relates to His mind and inner most thoughts. Jesus sharing on

his thoughts is to transform us and impact our mind, shaping and influencing our

thinking. The passage tells us three things about Jesus and we shall then evaluate

how this should impact our minds.

They are :-

1.Jesus is God

Jesus was in the form of God. The Greek word to describe this is morphe or

translated as form in English. This translation depicts an outward appearance

however that was not what it meant. Morphe meant the essence of an entity, its

quality and nature. An outward expression of an inner essence. Plainly put, Jesus

is God. The Apostle Paul said, Jesus has the unique and identical quality that made

God God. Jesus is the very substance of God, very characteristic of God and very

being of God. Jesus is God as much as God as a Father for He is equal to the

Father, the same in substance and being. So how does this affect our mind? If

Jesus said that He has come into our lives and have said that He loves us and will

never forsake us, for we are His and He is committed to us, we should be much

more optimistic about our future and lives. He had allowed children to sit on His lap,

calling all to come to him all who are weary and heavy laden and He will give us

rest. This is our God. Paul solid and unyielding faith which is so sure, steadfast and

unsinkable because he knows that Jesus is God and He lives in Him. This is

reflected in the passage Romans 8: 34-39. This is also the same Jesus in our lives

and we should be much more optimistic about our future and our thinking.

2. Jesus became human (God-man)

Jesus is not only divine but He is also human. It does not mean that having been

God, He is now human or turned to human. This is not the case as Jesus never

stopped being God but He became human as well. He became God/ Man at once

ie 100% of both entities. This impact our minds in two ways. Firstly, there are

philosophers who states that the flesh/human is tainted, polluted and impure and

this made it difficult for them to accept that God became a human. The Christian

faith is the only faith that puts equal importance to the physical and spiritual. Thus,

we need to give equal emphasis on both the spiritual (salvation is important) and

the physical aspects of our lives ie the environment, social justice, economic

empowerment, our physical and mental fitness are just as equally important.

Secondly, because God became human, He understands us and knows what we

are going through. He has been betrayed, lonely, disappointed, feared death, so

in short He knows our troubles and we can always go to Him for He understands.

He is our wonderful counsellor, mighty God, everlasting Father and Prince of

Peace so we can keep both the spiritual and physical together.

3. Being human, He humbled Himself and became a servant even to death on the

cross.

When Jesus came, He could have been a super human, a powerful human being

but He came in the form of a servant, making himself nothing and humbled

Himself and became obedient to death on the cross. This is totally the opposite of

us for we crave power and position. Jesus showed us the way, for to go up is to

go down, to be rich is to share, to be great is to be a servant. Jesus emptied

Himself and found Himself feeding the thousands, walked on water, preached and

taught, heal and cast out demons, Jesus showed us this wisdom in John 14:12

where we will do greater works than Him if we depend on the Father and to yield

to Him our dreams and ambitions in His hands and watch Him brings us to new

heights. When we have a glimpse of Jesus’s inner thoughts, this too will impact

our minds.

Conclusion:

Jesus is God. Let that change your mind.

Jesus became human. Let that change your mind.

Jesus humbled Himself and became a servant. Let that change your mind.

Questions for discussion

1. Phil 2:5-11 depicts Jesus' innermost thoughts. Why do you think He is revealing

His innermost thoughts with us?

2. Jesus is God and if you are a disciple of Christ, you know that Jesus lives in you,

even as you follow Him. How does this fact shape/influence your mind/

perspective towards life?

3. In your opinion/experiences, how do you develop your mind? What are some bible

verses we can ponder over when it comes to our mind?  

7 Promises of God – I Will Never Leave You

Topic: 7 Promises of God – I Will Never Leave You

Text: Joshua 1:5b-6; 23:14

Speaker: Pr. Lo Yi Ping

A drama film produced by Hallmark entitled “The Lost Valentine” tells the beautiful and

touching story of a young bride Mrs. Thomas. On Valentine’s Day in 1944 at the Union Train

Station, she waved goodbye to her husband Neil Thomas, a navy pilot, as he left her for World

War II with one promise that, “I’ll be home safely by our wedding anniversary.” Time passed

and they exchanged letters to keep their love alive until one day she received a telegram

stating that her husband was missing in action. She refused to believe that he was dead and

since then, for more than 60 years, she has returned every year on Valentine’s Day to the

train station to wait for her husband. In life, promises that people give to one another can keep

one’s hopes alive even in their lives’ darkest moments. On the other hand, broken promises

can break people, causing them to lose hope for all things in life, sometimes they are even

being locked in the time when the promise failed to come true.

God promised never to leave us or forsake us. The exact verse for this is found in Hebrew

13:5 which says, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” This verse is cross

referenced to the account in Deuteronomy 31.

1. God’s promises are everlasting covenant

Deuteronomy 31 – Moses’ departing message to Joshua and the Israelites. By this time, he was 120 years old, his time was almost up, even though God had given Moses the responsibility to lead the people out of Egypt but he was not given the chance to enter the promised land. Yet Moses was encouraging his succeeding leader Joshua to continue to trust God to lead them and ask him to be strong and courageous (Deut. 31:7-8). Moses was very sure that God would go before them, lead them and not fail or forsake them. This was not only Moses’ experience but also that of his forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 17:7). God gave the promise that He’ll be God to Abraham and his offsprings. 

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses have all experienced the fulfilment of God’s promises in their lives. That’s why Moses was so convinced that God will continue to go with Joshua and the people after him. In the same way, as New Testament Christians, we can say with confidence that God will “never leave us nor forsake us” (Hebrews 13:5b). Jesus also says, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). God promises to be with us too until the end of the age. God’s promises have no expiry dates! They stand through all generations. Just as He never left Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Joshua, He will never leave us as well.

Forsake is a strong word which means “divine abandonment”, “to leave behind” or “to desert.” When used in a military sense, when warriors forsake a village, it means that the village will be completely abandoned and unprotected and left entirely at the mercy of the enemies. A child misbehaving in a public place will usually behave himself when threatened to be abandoned by his parents because the very thought of being abandoned is very frightening to a child. And yet Jesus Himself was forsaken and abandoned by God the Father at the Cross.

2. His promises, our commitment

In this world, promises often come with terms and conditions. One party promises to do something in return for the other party fulfilling his part of the deal or bargain. In other words, you won’t receive what was promised if you don’t fulfill your part. But it is not so with God. God’s promises are one-sided. He never requires us to fulfill any conditions before He comes and gives us His promises out of His love and grace which we do not deserve at all. God does not require us to give Him our promises but what He asks from us is our commitment and our devotion to Him. Read Exodus 3:12 and John 14:15-18. 

God does not need our promises but He wants our commitment to Him. To keep His commandments, to love Him and to give Him our commitment. 

In the earlier story about Mrs. Thomas, what kept her going to the train station for over 60 years? Her husband promised to return but never did. We can see it as a broken promise on her husband’s part. What kept her going was not the promise her husband gave to her, but it was her commitment to the promise that she gave to her husband, that she would love him and wait for his return. It was more than a promise, it was the commitment to this promise that she made. The wedding vows that couples exchange at Christian weddings are not just promises they’re making to each other but they are actually making promise and covenant with God to stand by each other through thick and thin.

3. Continue to proclaim the promises of God

Read about Joshua’s farewell speech to the people in Joshua 23:14. By this time, he had already experienced the assurance that Moses shared with him concerning God’s promise to never leave or forsake him. Now it was his turn to affirm the Israelites that God is faithful to wh t He promised. Although Joshua was dying and leaving the people, he was certain that God would never leave them. The promises of God are being proclaimed, affirmed and experienced from one generation to another. To help the future generations stand on God’s promises, we must continue to proclaim His promises. Pr. Yiping shared how her grandmother used to proclaim God’s faithfulness and goodness to her again and again, and this has led her to find her faith and experience in Christ. Nowadays she would relate her grandmother’s stories and her own experiences to her daughter, hoping that she too will walk on the promises of God. In summary and in conclusion, God’s promises are an everlasting covenant that will last from generation to generation. We can never give Him our promises but what He wants from us is only our commitment to worship Him, obey His commandments and to love Him. To love Him means loving His people and loving His Church. Let’s continue to proclaim and stand on God’s promises so that our generations to come will continue to walk in His blessings.

Questions for Discussion

1. Have you ever promised someone something but changed your mind later or vice versa?

What caused the change and why? What are some of the things you will take into

consideration before you make a promise? How does a broken promise make you feel?

2. Take turns to read aloud Hebrews 13:5b-6 and Deuteronomy 31. Share your observations

and questions from the reading in relation to the sermon outline above and beyond.

Example, what are some of the words that are being repeated in the passage? What is the

significance of such repetition? What are some of the words that stand out in your reading?

How does that speak to you?

3. Pray for one another, if there are any past hurts from broken promises, release them to

God and ask Him to heal the brokenness within. Pray also for one another to stand firm

on His promises that are ever faithful.

Mind of Christ - Part 2

Mind of Christ - Part 2

05 July 2020

Rev. Renny Khoo
Sermon Outline
Topic: Developing the Mind of Christ Part II
Text: Roman 8:5-8

Today many studies are undertaken with regards to exploring learning and research of our minds. Interestingly how our mind works. The Bible tells us that God has created and given us our mind and is capable of spiritual discernment when we come to know Him. Two practical things why and how we develop our minds?

1. Principal – Why do we want to develop our mind?

1Cor 2:16, Apostle Paul said we have the mind of Christ, and we can discern Spiritual matters. The Spiritual thing that natural people who are yet to know our Lord Jesus would not be able to understand or see. Secondly, in Acts 2:38, when we have Christ in us, we are indwelt by the holy spirit.

Ravi Zacharias said, "The mind is the command control center of a human being," and Rick Warren said, "My thoughts control my life."

Do we want to change our lives or our circumstances to be better? Do we want to rise above our circumstances and see changes in our lives? And if we do, it all begins with our minds. Where there is a change in the way we think, there is a change in our lives. And if our mind is set on the spirit and the truth, we will grow discernment.

Growing discernment increases sharpness; you gain knowledge, insides, and we gain God's perspective, and that will helps us better evaluate and judge on matters on our lives. 

In Romans 12:2, we received a new spiritual mind when we received our Lord Jesus

Christ. We are partakers of His divine nature, and therefore our spiritual eyes will

enable us to see and discern spiritual matters. Many testimonies shared when they

come to know our Lord Jesus Christ, some will experience a dramatic change in their lives, and some are gradual because their spiritual eyes and their spiritual mind can conceive and perceive.

Eg. A human mind as a computer, the holy spirit is a unique program that can be

uploaded into the human hard drive. Once the program is uploaded, that mind can

affect all other applications and computer systems. It can take out the harmful

application (e.g., hurts, pride, Me, worldly things) and ready to replace them with the right functional application (e.g., love, joy, compassion, Goldly things). The mind of Christ rewrites our hard drive. Then we are capable of understanding and

interfacing with God, and we gain new desire, quality, humility, compassion, and other Godly fruits. We can see the reality before us that the world is temporal, and that we are meant for an eternal world. In Rom 12:2, we are not to be conformed to this world means we are not to squeeze into this world. We know it is a challenge to renew our mind, but scripture exalts us to transform—the metamorphosis - a change that is coming from the inside and live like a reborn child. Means "renewal," and that results in knowing what God wants us to do.

2. Process – How do we develop our minds?

A. Feed our minds with the truth – Matthew 4:4 and Psalm 1:2 says truth is eternal,

and when we feed our mind with the truth, nothing can shake us. Today's news can be fake news or genuine news. There is a call to feed our minds with the truth by going back to the scripture. The Word of God shapes our world view and perspective.

B. Free from destructive thoughts – 2Cor 10:3-5, we are to take captive, switch, and free our thoughts that are not from God, like temptations, condemnations, comparisons, lust, lies, false belief system, doubts and fear, the key is we can take captives of our thoughts. Our Lord Jesus Christ loves us and has never condemned us from the beginning.

C. Focus our mind on the right things

1. Pure things – Phil 4:8, Recently, our BCCM KKe prayer drive was a meaningful

and enjoyable experience for everyone.

2. Eternity – Col 3:2, Attending and conducting funerals brings perspective in our thinking.

3. Others – Phil 2:4-5, Make time to look to the interest of others and not only our interest.

4. Jesus – Col 6:6-8, Having the mind of Christ is not something that is exclusively reserved for perfect people. Every believer has access to the mind of Christ through faith. However, our old mind still gives in to the lure of sins and hinders by false doctrine. Choose our freedom in our unhealthy ways; therefore, our minds need to be continually renewed, moving away from the mind of the flesh into the mind of Christ.

Assurance – God is faithful to bring it to completion. The renewal of our mind is God's work in us and through us. When we submit and co-operate with Him, God will surely bring it to pass.

Questions:

1. How would you respond, “How does having the mind of Christ look like?”

2. Read Rom 12:1-2 in various Bible versions and languages. Share your understanding of these verses. How might you be applying them in your life?

3. Read Philippians 2:4-5. How are you looking “to the interest of others’ this season?