Western Bible Conference Renew

1. Western Bible ConferenceRenew “be metamorphosised by the continual renewing of your mind” Rom 12:

2. One week of life and ministry • Two Marriages on the rocks • Two teachers scrambling to find work • Two Christian institutions facing closure • Two officers in deep depression • “Am I good enough?” • We Need Renewal

3. Renewal in the OT • Creation – Fall – Restoration • Worship life – new = new moon, feasts ‘picture of newness’ • Lam 3:23 Hesed new every morning • Create (bara) in me a clean heart, O God and renew (hodesh) a right spirit within me. (Ps 51:10)

4. Creation as the foundation of renewal • The language of Scripture (and the Army) • Redeemed and recreated • Released and restored • Rescued and resting in Him • Reconciled and made perfect • The Gospel we offer – • The Reality we need –

5. Renewal in the OT • New Covenant in the Heart (Jer 31) • A new thing 31:22, new covenant 31:31 • Renewal of the Heart (Ezek 11:19) 3t. • Ezek 18:31 ‘get yourself a new heart/put on a new spirit’ • Ezek 36:26 ‘new heart’ • 6 New Song Pss. 40:4, 33:3, 98:3, 96:11,144:9,149:1 • Isaiah’s “new song” 42:10, “new things” 43:19, “new heavens and new earth” 65:17, “new name” 62:2,4 ‘married’

6. Renewal in the NT • John 3 – you must be born again – through water and the Spirit (3:5) • Picks up the OT promise of Holy Spirit • Regeneration 2x (palin – again, genesia- begin) • Mt 19:28 ‘when all is made new’ • Titus 3:5 ‘by the washing of regeneration’

7. Renewal (ana-kainos) • Col 3:10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. • II Cor 4:16 Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. • Titus 3:5 ‘and the renewal in the Holy Spirit’ • Rom 12:2 ‘be transformed by the renewal of your mind’ • Rare terms but pervasive theme • II Cor 5:17 ‘ a new creation’

8. Renewal as Recreation It takes the power behind creation to make a heart new and it takes that same power to keep it renewed

9. Brengle and Purity of Heart • After quoting Ezek 36:25-27 • “new” occurs twice (cf. 11:19 twice)To believers, to the redeemed • No longer under sin, • or over sin • but WITHOUT sin

10. One Distinctive Contribution? • Gospel not completed until there is: • ‘universal holiness’ • ‘actual renewal of the image of God’ • ‘not just relative but real change’ • ‘a great salvation perfectly restored in me!’ • Renewal – nothing less than transformation

11. Real life after Sanctification Rom 12:2 • By the (Hesed/Agape) Mercy of God: • Living Sacrifice • Not formed by something which is not His will for your life • Passive with negative: stop something now • Continually transformed in your inmost nature • Passive: Let yourselves be transformed • By the RENEWING of your mind (nous) • Normally the moral reasoning • vs. 3 uses (phroneo) for mind

12. Dealing with a different mind • But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savorest not (phroneo) the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. (Mar 8:33; Matt 16:23 KJV)

13. Dealing with a “satanic” mind • Mind (Phroneo) – “savor” (KJV) • You are not ‘minded’ like God occurs in some crucial passages • Perspective • Mindset • Direction mind takes • To take someone’s side • To think in a certain way • Setting one’s interest in a consuming direction • Orientation, Way of thinking,

14. We have the mind of Christ(1 Cor 2: 6-15) • Theme of paragraph - Wisdom concealed in a mystery • “Musterion” (once in syn. gospels, Mk 4:11/Mt13:11/Lk8:10 (21t. in Paul) • muo = a shut mouth • ‘sater’ = state of hiddenness, especially to the natural mind • Something too profound for human ingenuity • The revelation comes out of a relationship • Spirit reveals what is freely given (12)

15. The Christian Mind • Is this just speculation? • Harry Blamires The Christian Mind • A supernatural orientation • Reality of the eternal: • C.S. Lewis “All that is not eternal, is eternally out of date.” • No earthbound salvation • Other religions: faith and works, which? • Awareness of Evil • Doctrine of Original Sin • Mind = “the theology of Jesus” • Jesus is our focus point and what His interests are become ours

16. Have the Mind of Christ(Phil 2:1-5) • Spiritual Disposition: • The pattern of “emptiness” • The example of “humiliation” • Commend Him, how - by proclaiming Him by living like Him

17. Set your Mind on things above (Col 3:2) • Structure of the Paragraph • 3:1-4 is a General statement: • (1)IfConditional Statement • Rec. of “ifs” 2:20 and here only in Col. • consequence of his death in 2:20 • here is consequence of his being raised

18. If…then Then or therefore: Causation refers to what has preceded, how far? 2:20, 2:12-13 Since you have been raised/ rose along with Christ (belief, regeneration, baptism) Rec of raised resurrection theme(1:11,12,13?) 1:18 firstborn of the dead 2:12,13 (14?) Since you share in the endless life He procured, He gave, He is Continuation of commands related to 2:5,8,9,12,16

19. Effect: Seek the things that are above: First Command 1b) Be seeking, Aim at! Keep on aspiring to those things which are above Above is particularized by description Where our Christ is Seated at the Right Hand of our God: Meaning of Heaven, Ascension, Session

20. Second Command or completion of the first? Positive perspective: (2)Set your minds on things that are above, Phroneo in the NT (Mk.8, Mt 16, I Cor 13: 11, Phil 2) Give your minds to, be intent on, constantly fix your thoughts on The bent, the tendency of your thought and will,

21. Set your Mind on things above (Col 3:2) • Turn from Negative to Positive • Implications of the Death and Ress. (2:20ff) • Elemental Spirits no longer control or attract • tenor of existence changed • What is it that we actually do? Seek, Set, have died, you will appear…everything else is of heavenly origin • set your mind on the highest you know and stay there

22. What keeps us from His Mind? • Rom 1:28 Reprobate Mind • Rom 8:7 Carnal • Rom 12:2 Conformed

23. Am I thinking Christianly? • It is so easy to be de-Christianized in our “minds” • Cultivating an eternal perspective? • It is a constant fight with secular culture • Therefore no need for dependence upon God • Incarnation is the breaking in of supernature into nature • The Greater breaks in on the Smaller • The eternal is not for later • It is the background for all of life today • The issue of salvation is the dominant concern

24. Does my mind reflect His? • Don’t interject our faith into anything • Christian ‘silence’ • Actually begin to reason like the world and add Jesus when totally accepted • Begin to think and act like the world – self-help, we can be good, don’t bring that supernatural stuff into the quotient

25. Allowing Him to Renew My Mind • Is His Mind Mine? • Is His Self-emptying Way Mine? • Is His Reality truly ‘real’ for me?

26. Macarius of Egypt “If any man is in Christ he is a new creature, for our Lord Jesus came for this very reason, that He might change, and renew, and create afresh this once perverted soul. He came to work a new mind, a new soul, new eyes, new ears, a new spiritual tongue, yes to make believers new people that He might pour into them His Spirit.”