“We have the mind of Christ.”
March 15, 2019

Today is the last message in our current sermon series entitled: “Power for Everyday
Living.” This series may end today, but power for everyday living for God’s people from
His Holy Spirit continues! Especially right now.
Since January, we’ve been encouraged to dream dreams, not to limit God, and to
understand the importance of God’s Holy Spirit at work in our lives.
We’ve learned about the power of unity. We’ve looked at the blessings of obedience.
We’ve been invited to think about where we are on our spiritual journey.
We’ve been taught about the importance of forgiveness. We need the power of the Holy
Spirit to forgive others, especially when it’s someone we don’t want to forgive!
Today, I want us to get a really good hold on the truth of the fact that “we have the mind
of Christ!” Talk about empowered living! When you walk on this earth knowing that you
belong to God, and you are filled to overflowing with His Holy Spirit, and you even have
the very mind of Jesus Christ, there’s no stopping you!
Fear doesn’t guide you!
Obstacles can’t stop you!
And what appears impossible to people becomes very possible with God in your life!
This is because “we have the mind of Christ.”
Let’s look at 1 Cor. 2:1-16 this very special morning. [I’ve asked three people to read

this, in three sections, Pat D 2:1-5; Troy 2:1-10a; Amanda 2:10b-16. Then, Pray.]
Throughout the 13 of the 27 New Testament books that Paul wrote, he shows great
humility and trust in God’s power through the Holy Spirit, the spirit of Christ.
He begins this section of this letter to the church in Corinth by giving all the credit to
Christ. He was a very well educated and gifted speaker. He was a lawyer. He could
have used all kinds of persuasive arguments to try to win people over. But he didn’t.
Notice how he said he determined to know nothing except “Jesus Christ and Him
crucified!”
What does this mean?
Elsewhere, he says, in Galatians, (one of the letters he wrote from prison),
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;”
What does he mean by this? What does it mean for our lives if we say the same?
{Let’s practice saying that together. Insert your name in place of the second “I.”
Here’s an example, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer Rebecca who lives,
but Christ lives in me.” Now, let’s all try it…}
This means its not all about us. It means we’ve parked our egos and left our cars to live
for Christ. It means we trust the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us into everything we
do and every thought we think and every word we speak.
It means we’ve checked our pride and arrogance into the coat or hat check, (not an
analogy we really relate to in Florida or in this era but we can see it in old movies), and
we’re leaving it there. It is no longer our ego, arrogance and pride which drives us, but
living for Christ. And others.
Paul actually admits to the Corinthians that he came to them “in weakness and great
fear and trembling.” Talk about vulnerability and transparency! He’s admitting to them he
didn’t have it all together. If you remember, he was killing Christians before He had a
dramatic and personal encounter with none other than Jesus Christ. So he probably
didn’t know what to expect when he came to a new place, either. What kind of
reputation had gone before him?
Not matter who we are, or what we’ve done, or haven’t done, we can also be “crucified
with Christ” and start fresh.
In verse 4, Paul says the demonstration of the Spirit’s power is what brought his
message home and made it meaningful!
In our church, the more we are experiencing more of the presence and power of the
Holy Spirit, the more others are paying attention and interested in this empowered faith
life! The more our church will grow as people see more of God at work among us.
Ironically, as I use the word “more” so much in these sentences, I’m reminded the Dove
Conference, at the end of April, has a theme entitled, “There’s More.” Yes! There is!
And in fact, they’ve always met at the end of March, and yet this year it’s the end of
April! How fortuitous!
Notice what Paul says after his statement of the importance of the “demonstration of the
Spirit’s power.” Immediately following is the purpose statement “so that.”
He says the power of the Holy Spirit is seen SO THAT people’s faith won’t rest on
human wisdom, “but God’s power.” (2:5)
Paul is funny. I can’t wait to meet him someday. The lawyer in him just can’t help it, I’m
guessing. Because right after he makes that glorious statement about “God’s power,” he
then says, “however…”
The next section of this Scripture addresses God’s wisdom.
The word “wisdom” is probably resonating within him as he boldly proclaimed that our
faith rests not “on human wisdom but on God’s power.”

He’s emphasized God’s power. Now he’s going to teach on God’s wisdom. Not human
wisdom. God’s wisdom.
Paul reminds us that the “wisdom of this age,” and “the rulers of this age,” are coming to
nothing. In other words, don’t put your trust in anyone or anything but God!
(The first of the 10 commandments, I might add!)
Throughout this past week, as the stock market took it’s dramatic roller coaster ride,
and coronavirus fear spread, I kept thinking about the verse from Psalm 20:7
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
Paul says if the rulers of his current age had Godly wisdom, they would have never
crucified the son of God. Jesus.
He also talks about the wisdom of God which had been hidden. It’s time had now come.
What he was saying is that the Messiah, and following Christ and believing in God,
would not just be for the Jews, but for everyone.
Paul then quotes an Old Testament verse from Isaiah. You’ve heard me say it especially
when I’m trying to encourage you to dream big. (And it was one of my father’s favorite
verses.) “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has
conceived - the things God has prepared for those who love Him.”
I love this verse. I encourage you to memorize it too.
It’s one of the promises of God. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Cor. 2:9
It’s an exciting verse. It tells us that God has plans for us who love Him that we can’t
even imagine!
But it’s also referring to God’s offer of salvation to ALL people.
This plan was originally unknown to people. But once Jesus rose from the grave,
(Ie: Easter celebration!), it became “crystal clear.”
(LAB FN 2:7)
Jesus’ resurrection proved that He has power over sin and death, and offers us this
power as well!
Then Paul says in verse 10, “these are the things God has revealed to us by His Spirit.”

Then there’s another transition, like earlier. This time, Paul goes into “the deep things of
God.” He teaches us that the Holy Spirit “searches all things,” even the deep things of
God.” He gives us an example of what he’s talking about next when he says just like no
one really knows what anyone else is thinking, expect that person, so it is with God.
No one really knows what God is thinking expect the Spirit of God.

And he adds that we’ve received that same Holy Spirit!
So, therefore, we can actually know what God is thinking sometimes?!
When we’re baptized in the Holy Spirit, we may then understand what God has freely
given us. When we pray in tongues, our spirits communicate directly with God’s spirit.
We can express things in this way that we can’t, otherwise.
This, in turn, gives us more of God’s power within us! This, in turn, gives us “power for
everyday life.”
Paul talks about how only the Spirit can give us understanding of spiritual matters.
I also have to remind myself often to ask the Holy Spirit to give me His insight as I read
His Word, the Bible. He wrote the book. He inspired the authors. So it only makes sense
to ask for His help in understanding it. And it always makes a difference in my reading.
Don’t forget to ask Him to guide you as you read the Bible too.
After Paul shares this marvelous knowledge of how the Spirit helps us, he also
contrasts the person without the Spirit and how they do not accept the things that come
from the Spirit of God.
In fact, they consider it “foolishness.’
You may know someone or many people who judge us in this way right now for
choosing to meet for worship in spite of the coronavirus fears.
But aside from that, non-believers simply cannot understand God, and the things of
God. (That may explain a lot!)
They don’t understand that God’s Spirit lives in believers!
So don’t expect most people to approve of or understand your decision to follow Christ
and seek more of His Holy Spirit. It may all just seem silly to them. Just as a tone-deaf
person cannot appreciate fine music, for the most part, so the person who rejects God
cannot understand His beautiful message. With the lines of communication broken, they
just can’t hear what God is saying.
But we also can’t let this keep us from continuing to try to find ways to meet needs and
introduce others to Christ.
In fact, this is a great time to do that! As people isolate themselves in fear, it’s a good
time to knock on the door of an elderly neighbor and see if they need anything.
And don’t forget we’re still in the season of Lent. Set asithose of us with the Holy Spirit make judgements about all
things. In other words, we get Godly wisdom!
Paul wraps up this section with six simple but powerful words: “But we have the mind of
Christ.”
In contrast to the foolishness of the world, we have God’s very own thinking!
No one can every fully comprehend God, but through His Holy Spirit, and ONLY through
His Holy Spirit, we can have insight into some of God’s plans, thoughts and actions.
Through the Holy Spirit, we can begin to know God’s thoughts, talk with Him, and
expect His answers to our prayers.
My goodness… we have the very same mind as Christ! How phenomenal is that?!
Spend time with Jesus, and the Bible, in prayer, with the help of the Holy Spirit to have
His very mind in us! An intimate relationship with Christ comes only from spending time
consistently in His Presence and in His Word and in relationship with others who love
Him too.
We have the mind of Christ.
When we are “plugged in” to Him, we are “powered up!”
There’s a great opportunity right now for God’s people to demonstrate for others that
“we won’t be shaken.” We “are not given a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound
mind."


We have the mind of Christ.
When we are “plugged in” to Him, we are “powered up!”
There’s a great opportunity right now for God’s people to demonstrate for others that
“we won’t be shaken.” We “are not given a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind."

In spite of all the fear-pushing and panic-hoarding and all the other unbelievable things
we see all around us right now, life is also moving forward as usual.
{Example of call to Publix and “two weddings and a funeral.”}
It’s also St. Patrick’s Day on Tuesday. Let’s celebrate that day as we want with an
understanding of how an empowered life looks.
I suspect he also had “the mind of Christ.” I suspect he was also filled with the Holy
Spirit. How could he not have been when he heard God’s voice and chose to return to
Ireland, where he had previously been a slave for six years.
How could he not have when he chose to forgive those who had captured him and held
him against his will for six years.

How could he not have when he chose to love rather than hate, to be “strong and
courageous” rather than to fear. And, it’s said, he drove out all the snakes from Ireland.
You’d have to have God’s Spirit to accomplish that I’m pretty sure.
In this uncertain time, we won’t be foolish. We will be monitoring the spread of this virus.
We will take necessary precautions. {Have people list them.}
But we will not be shaken. We will not fear. We will pray. And we will walk with God’s
power - knowing we have the mind of Christ!
Closing Prayer. Transition to Ministry Time…