God's Things? What's On Your Mind?

Trinity XIV --- August 28, 2005

Matthew 16:21-26

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

How well do you keep the things of God on your mind? Or, maybe I should begin by asking you, “what would define as the things of God?” What things come to mind? Too often, we compartmentalize our life. We have our work or school life, our home or family life, our personal or private life, and finally our spiritual or faith life.

How many of you here are good at compartmentalizing these different aspects of your life? Do you try to make sure that your work life never comes home? At least, you try to make sure that the frustrations from work don’t come home? You know what, it’s a good thing that those problems are not taken out on the spouse or kids.

But how about your spiritual life, do you compartmentalize that too? Should that be on your mind at work? Should the things of God intrude on your private time? How about with your family, in the home, should your spiritual life intrude there?

To make the claim that we are Christians, believers in the Triune God, the things of God are to be first and foremost in every facet of our life. This is after all, the summary of the first table of the Law; Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, and with all your strength. To love God in such a way means that God’s will should be our will - in all that we do. Also, God’s kingdom, and what is best for that kingdom, should be in our thoughts and minds at all times.

Peter had a problem, he was caught up in the things of this world, the things of men. In our text, Jesus explained to them God’s will and purpose for the advancing of His kingdom, that Jesus had come to suffer, die, and then be raised back to life. Peter, had the audacity to rebuke Jesus saying, “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!”

Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Peter, and the disciples were in a dilemma. They didn’t have their mind on God’s things, but were caught up in the world. Jesus’ words should be sobering to all those who would claim to be Christians. We are to give up all of our self, including our worldly pursuits. We are to deny ourselves, we are to lose our life, or if not, we could lose our soul.

Our epistle lesson, from Paul’s letter to the Romans can help us understand this. Paul writes to us: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Rom. 12:1-2)

Where does the pattern of this world overcome you? Is your mind renewed by the Spirit, so that God’s will informs every aspect of your life?

How many people want their children to be well-rounded? So, they compartmentalize their child’s life - they need a little of this, a little of that, all the things of the world. Oh, and the also want them to have some of the things of God. So, when there is a conflict in regard to what takes priority - the kids extra-curricular activities like sports, choir, and band –or– the things of God, like attendance at worship, Catechetical instruction, or other things which train them in righteousness - too often, the extra-curricular, worldly things win out. Maybe we need Jesus’ words to echo again in our mind, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”

How many people know that their spiritual life is refreshed, renewed and strengthened by the Sunday morning things of God or Wednesday evening things of God? Of course, we gather to be built up in the faith by Christ’s presence. And yet, even knowing this, how often do the things of the world pre-empt that time where Christ comes to prepare us specifically to prepared us that we might offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God in the world? How often does our home life, our physical life, or our private life become the priority, and the things of God are neglected?

How about the rest of the week? Have you ever thought, that on Sunday, it’s OK for pastor to tell us: “watch your language, don’t gossip, keep our minds free from lustful thoughts, remember God’s will in all your life, and other things of God.” And then, the rest of the week you think, “Pastor, better not try to push his morality on me today, it isn’t Sunday.”

Some of you may even think that the things of God are only a Sunday morning thing, that one hour a week. Furthermore, in that hour (and it better not be more than an hour) you have done your duty for God. In fact, some think they only need to come only once in a while - not every week, or even regularly. As long as they make an occasional appearance, it looks good to everybody, and it keeps God happy.

Every single one of you have your Sunday morning spirituality, but sometime during the week, you hang up your faith in that compartment where it is sealed away while other things take priority. To be honest, you may not even plan on doing it that way, but because of whatever reason - busy schedule, overwork, life in general - in essence, that’s exactly what happens. We need to be on guard against letting the things of men overcome us. It is good to remember Jesus’ words, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”

Of all the things that we try to keep compartmentalized and separate in our life, there is one that should not be set in a separate compartment and kept there - that is the things of God, or our faith life.

What kind of father are you? Your faith better inform that. What kind of employee or employer? God’s word has definite things to say about it, and your faith better live it out each and every day. In regard to your sexuality, your actions toward your neighbors, your relationship to your parents, even how you are to respond to those who hate you and mistreat you - in all these things, you are to have in mind the things of God. Your faith must direct your life in all areas.

What is more, according to our Epistle lesson, we who are in Christ are one body, we each belong to the other. We are built together to care for and help one another. For example, while I have been given two wonderful sons, they are God’s children, I am simply a steward of them. As members of the body of Christ, they are your children as well, you are to be stewards of them. As one body in Christ, if you were to see them someplace where I am not - say downtown Embarrass - and if they were behaving in a manner unbefitting a child of God, you should not compartmentalize your faith, but speak out at the very least to discipline them.

In fact, we are to be stewards of one another, serving one another. That means, each of us is in part, responsible for the faith of our neighbor. We are to be speaking to one another and encouraging one another in the faith.

In all things, you are to have in mind the things of God, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Yeah, I’ve heard it, “that’s easy for you to say pastor, that’s your job, to be a Christian 24/7.” No, I have been called by God to be your pastor 24/7, so that I might proclaim Christ to you. It is through Christ, that are made a Christian 24/7.

Look at what happened in our text between Peter and Jesus. Here is one of the twelve disciples that Jesus hand-picked, one who was to be a witness to the Christ, and Jesus had to say to him, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Peter, unknowingly, had his mind on the things of men, earthly things. And in so doing, tempted Jesus to give up His task and His purpose. Peter wanted Jesus to turn from the will of God in His life. Jesus calls Peter what he had become at that time, Satan, a stumbling block, a temptation to turn Jesus away from the things of God He had come to accomplish.

You and I are also tempted, on a daily basis, to live not only in the world, but of the world as well. We’d like to be conformed to the world; after all, it is comfortable. When these desires come on, we need to speak to them boldly and clearly, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

In all honesty, we are like Peter, we do not always have the things of God foremost in our mind. We sinfully get caught up in our own minds, in our own thoughts, and our own private little world. We sinfully try to keep the things of God in a separate compartment, while they should inform everything we think, or do, or say.

And so, dearly beloved of God, you are here this morning. You are here exactly because you know that you have not had in mind the things of God. You are here confessing that you have sinned against Him in thought, word and deed. You are here, because you know that you can flee for refuge in His infinite mercy and implore God’s grace for the sake of Jesus Christ.

Thankfully, Christ kept His mind on the things of God in everything He did. Temptation to the things of men He overcame. And this He did, just for you. He resisted temptation, so that when He fulfilled the Father’s will by suffering many things at the hands of evil men, and was killed, and raised on the third day - He did it to grant you forgiveness.

You are the things of God which Jesus, as the Christ, was focused upon. You are the precious things of God which Christ came to buy back from the things of this world - sin and death.

You have been baptized into Christ - into His death and His resurrection. Christ’s perfect life becomes your robe of righteousness that covers your sin. His perfection becomes your strength to live a new life.

What’s on your mind this morning? God’s desire is that you would have in mind the things of God toward you. Christ’s mind was upon you the day revealed in our text; it was His will to redeem you from your sin. God’s desire today, is that you would receive the things of Christ which Christ purchased - forgiveness and a new life.

What should be on your mind this morning is the things of God toward you that proclaim to you all your sins forgiven. Christ has made the exchange for your soul, He has made you His own child. He has saved your life, that you might never lose it. Today, and always, that’s that mind of God toward you - that you are His and He is yours, now and forevermore. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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