What's on Your Mind?

Preached by Ps Jude Blayney

Note: For a downloadable PDF of any posted messages, or to view previous messages, click here.

---

Recently in The House we began to look at Hebrews 6:1-2.

We discussed the concept of repentance. Let's review that now.

Repentance

   Greek: Metanoya.

Meta = Change

Noya = Mind

Change your thinking. What was our old thinking? What is our new thinking?

So, what's on your mind?

Today we will look at what the word of God says about us.

Heirs as sons
John 1:12
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name."

What's on your mind? Do you see yourself as a child of God? Interesting to note here we have the right to be children of God. It's automatic but we must walk in that revelation. In other words we have to change our thinking concerning whose we are. How do we do that? We have to replace every thought that attempts to lift or push away from what God says about us.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Being a child brings with it all the rewards of being an heir.

Ephesians 1:5
"Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will."

The Jewish ceremony called Bar-mitzvah is about the male child moving from being a child to being an adult.

When you have closer look at it, it is literally an adoption ceremony. Here we have a beautiful picture of the grace and acceptance of God. We are born into a new role, and into a new family with full and complete rights to be a son.

Access to God
Ephesians 2:18
"For through Him we both have access by one spirit to the Father."

Our access to God is based also on what He does, not on what we do. That is the reason why a sinner can come to God - because God sees and views them through the eyes of Jesus. Otherwise, they wouldn't get within cooee of Him before they would be blasted to kingdom come.

Access means we can freely talk to God and hear from Him. It's not a matter of whether He is talking, it's a matter of whether we are listening.

Peace with God
Romans 5:1
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Justified means "it's as if we have never sinned" So, not only is the pain and condemnation of sin dealt with, but the scar of the sin is also gone. This gives us the right relationship with God. We don't have to strive for his acceptance, forgiveness and grace. It is freely given to us through Jesus Christ.

My relationship with God, who is completely holy or right, is not conditional on my rightness but on His rightness. What an amazing thing God has done for us in that our relationship with God is secure because He never changes. GLORY!!!

Accepted in Christ
Colossians 1:14
"In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins"

Our acceptance in God, our acceptance in our mind is founded solely on the finished work of the cross. This is why we change our thinking about ourselves.

Colossians 2:10
"You are complete in Him, who is the head of all principalities and powers"

This acceptance is complete. We don't need to do anything more. We are complete.

In our minds it is so easy to stray from the acceptance of Christ because of what the world sows in us. We are not fulfilled because we don't drive the right car, live in the right suburb, have the right size or look house, wear the right clothes, speak the right words, know the right information, have been to the right colleges, are friends with the right people, eat the right food, drink the right drink, follow a certain football team or follow a certain football code, read the right books etc. Some of these things are good and we may well want them or already have some of them. They are in themselves not wrong, but they are never the answer in our minds concerning the acceptance we so desperately crave.

Our acceptance in Christ is just that. ACCEPTED!

It is because we are first loved. This life and death and life of Jesus make us:

	Greatly blessed
	Highly favoured
	Deeply loved