Pastor Brian
Orange Park Bible Church
(12) Genesis 2:4-17
Title: The Mind: Between Two Trees
Scripture Reading: Romans 8:1-17
1) Two weeks ago we talked about how we all "sinned" In Adam. We all would have done what Adam did because we all do what Adam did. One of the results of Adam's sin is known theologically as "imputation."
Imputation: We are born with wicked hearts/minds and a nature “bent” towards sin. Our hearts are sin factories, therefore we sin.
2) Romans 5: The Five Parallels between Adam and Christ with an emphasis on "much more." In Christ we are more than just “not guilty.” Christ’s righteousness was imputed to us. Therefore, we are judicially righteous in God’s sight (not merely morally neutral). Although we still have a nature “bent” towards sin, we have been given a new “heart” or “mind” that desires righteousness. We have a new factory. As we renew our minds, our nature is brought into conformity with the nature of Christ.
Walk with me through Romans:
· Romans 1: vv. 16-17 - The righteous shall live by faith (dependence).
Romans 1:18-2:5 – This is what happened in Genesis 1 and now the wrath of God abides on man
· Romans 2:6-13 – Covenant Language
· Romans 3:5-6a and then Romans 3:9-18
· Romans 4:1-3 – Language of Imputation “counted as” Compare with II Corinthians 5:21
· Romans 5: 5 contrasts vv. 15; 16; 17; 18; 19
· Romans 6: Released from Slavery to Sin Nature Inherited from Adam (this was our atonement) –vv. 1-7
· Romans 7: Released from Requirements of the Law for Prerequisite to Righteousness: 7:1 (The law is good); 7:10 (the law is meant for life, but only brings death); 7:21-25
· 8:1 is vital. 8:2-4 (the outworking of our righteous position and mind is righteousness.
"Adam" Is like the Heart
The Heart can be "set upon" or "eat of" the tree of life or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Why is the heart central to change? Matthew 15:18-20
Proverbs 4:23; Romans 12:1-2 – Like Adam was called to guard and cultivate the garden, we are called to guard and cultivate the mind.
How do we live a life of fulfillment, satisfaction, and obedience? How to we love our Lord? Colossians 2:6-7
“Set Your Mind”
Colossians 3:2; II Corinthians 10:3-7; Romans 12:1-2
Matthew 15:18-20, “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”
· Everything we think, say, and do comes from the heart
By the Spirit
The means you use to mortify the flesh is always tied to motive.
You have two choices: You can change by using the flesh, or you can change by using the Spirit.
Motive: When using the flesh, your motive is to change behavior in order to please self. When using the Spirit, your motive is to change the heart, naturally resulting in behavioral change – in order to Love God and find your satisfaction in Him.
Examples: Begin practicing spiritual disciplines to win a girl’s attention. Begin desiring purity because you hate feeling guilty - by the flesh.
Lesson: Restraining sin is not mortifying grace. It is like trying to stop the flow of water by building a dam. Eventually the dam will break if the water continues to build. You want to cut it off at its source.
Marrying the Method (Set Your Mind) with the Means (by the Spirit)
HELPLESS AGGRESSION
DEPENDENT PERSISTENCE
SET YOUR MIND
As well might a poor man expect to be rich in this world without industry, or a weak man to become strong and healthy without food and exercise, as a Christian to be rich in faith and strong in the Lord without earnest endeavor and diligent effort. It is true that all our labors amount to nothing unless the Lord blesses them (Psalm 127:1), as it also is that apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). Nevertheless, God places no premium upon sloth, and has promised that "the soul of the diligent shall be made fat" (Proverbs 13:4). A farmer may be fully persuaded of his own helplessness to make his fields productive, he may realize that their fertility is dependent upon the sovereign will of God, and he may also be a firm believer in the efficacy of prayer; but unless he discharges his own duty his barns will be empty. So it is spiritually.
God has not called His people to be drones, nor to maintain an attitude of passiveness. No, He bids them work, toil, labor. The sad thing is that so many of them are engaged in the wrong task, or, at least, giving most of their attention to that which is incidental, and neglecting that which is essential and fundamental. "Keep thy heart with all diligence" (Proverbs 4:23): this is the great task which God has assigned unto each of His children. But oh, how sadly is the heart neglected! Of all their concerns and possessions, the least diligence is used by the vast majority of professing Christians in the keeping of their hearts. As long as they safeguard their other interests—their reputations, their bodies, their positions in the world—the heart may be left to take its own course.
Thus, for the Christian to "keep" his heart with all diligence means for him to pay close attention to the direction in which his affections are moving, to discover whether the things of the world are gaining a firmer and fuller hold over him or whether they are increasingly losing their charm for him. God has exhorted us, "Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth" (Colossians 3:2), and the heeding of this injunction calls for constant examination of the heart to discover whether or not it is becoming more and more dead unto this deceitful and perishing world, and whether heavenly things are those in which we find our chief and greatest delight.
This work of keeping the heart is the hardest of all.
"To shuffle over religious duties with a loose and heedless spirit will cost no great pains; but to set thyself before the Lord, and tie up thy loose and vain thoughts to a constant and serious attendance upon Him: this will cost something! To attain a facility and dexterity of language in prayer, and put thy meaning into apt and decent expressions, is easy; but to get thy heart broken for sin whilst thou art confessing it, be melted with free grace, whilst thou art blessing God for it, be really ashamed and humbled through the apprehensions of God’s infinite holiness, and to keep thy heart in this frame, not only in, but after duty, will surely cost thee some groans and travailing pain of soul. To repress the outward acts of sin, and compose the external acts of thy life in a laudable and comely manner, is no great matter—even carnal persons by the force of common principles can do this; but to kill the root of corruption within, to set and keep up an holy government over thy thoughts, to have all things lie straight and orderly in the heart, this is not easy" (John Flavel).
Getting air out of a glass..
BY THE SPIRIT (prayer is major here): There is a reason why you are incorporating so many disciplines and seeing very little consistency: you are not praying.
Illustrate with Hannah on the Swing; baking a cake; vine and branches
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