Acquiring the Mind of the Spirit

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August 29, 2004  A.D.

In this message, Pastor Landis teaches the basic reasons for difficulties in developing spiritual properties and offers solutions to aid those who desire a closer walk with the LORD to be able to begin to see growth as they walk in the Spirit.

Old Testament Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 6:8 – 18  (NASB)
Jer 6:8 “Be warned, O Jerusalem, Lest I be alienated from you; Lest I make you a desolation, A land not inhabited.”

Jer 6:9 Thus says the LORD of hosts, “They will thoroughly glean as the vine the remnant of Israel; Pass your hand again like a grape gatherer Over the branches.”

Jer 6:10 To whom shall I speak and give warning, That they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed, And they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them; They have no delight in it.

Jer 6:11 But I am full of the wrath of the LORD: I am weary with holding it in. “Pour it out on the children in the street, And on the gathering of young men together; For both husband and wife shall be taken, The aged and the very old.

Jer 6:12 “And their houses shall be turned over to others, Their fields and their wives together; For I will stretch out My hand Against the inhabitants of the land,” declares the LORD.

Jer 6:13 “For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is greedy for gain, And from the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely.

Jer 6:14 “And they have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace.

Jer 6:15 “Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the LORD.

Jer 6:16 Thus says the LORD, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you shall find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Jer 6:17 “And I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’

Jer 6:18 “Therefore hear, O nations, And know, O congregation, what is among them.

New Testament Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:6 – 21  (NASB)
2 Cor 5:6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord–

2 Cor 5:7 for we walk by faith, not by sight–

2 Cor 5:8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

2 Cor 5:9 Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.

2 Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

2 Cor 5:11 Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.

2 Cor 5:12 We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, that you may have an answer for those who take pride in appearance, and not in heart.

2 Cor 5:13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.

2 Cor 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;

2 Cor 5:15 and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

2 Cor 5:16 Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

2 Cor 5:18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,

2 Cor 5:19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

2 Cor 5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were entreating through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

2 Cor 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Point #1) Because of the fall of man, the tendencies of man are naturally in opposition to the will of God and therefore oppose righteousness in accordance with the standard of God, and set themselves on courses that resolve in conflict with God.

Because of the fall of man, the tendencies of man are naturally in opposition to the will of God and therefore oppose righteousness in accordance with the standard of God, and set themselves on courses that resolve in conflict with God.Point #2) The depravity of mankind produces grief for the Spirit of God that has brought about temporal judgment throughout the history of time & will eventually draw the final permanent destruction of all that is ungodly, yet in the meantime, due to the love of God for mankind, He has delayed the outpouring of His wrath to all mankind space to repent, in order to avoid His eternal punishment.

Point #3) God, in His great love has provided, through the death of His only-begotten Son Jesus Christ a perfect solution for everyone who believes in Him to be justified {acquitted} from their guilt and penalty for their sins and has recruited them {His church} to communicate to the rest who do not believe that this is so. All believers have become “Ambassadors” for Christ to the lost who do not know or accept Him.