Please stay with us.
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3ABN presents
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this closed captioned program.
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My name is Marquis Johns
and today our topic will be
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'The Beautiful Mind. '
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But of course,
before we get into our topic
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Let's just have a word or prayer
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Father in Heaven,
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Lord we thank you for Your
Beautiful Son Jesus Christ.
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We thank You for
His beautiful life.
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And we thank You for His
beautiful and perfect sacrifice.
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For without it
where would we be?
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And now Lord we ask
as we study your word
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that You would give
us the mind of Christ
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that we would discern
Your Word speaking to us
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specifically and directly.
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And we ask this in
Jesus name because You said
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That we should study
to show ourselves approved
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unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed
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rightly dividing
the Word of Truth
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so we ask and we
claim Your promise
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in Jesus name. Amen, Amen.
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Today's topic: A Beautiful Mind.
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There's a story of
two Christian monks.
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They were walking in a
drenching thunderstorm.
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They came to the banks
of a specific river and
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the thunderstorm was so immense
that the banks were overflowing.
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They found a young
lady standing there.
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And in Christian sincerity
one of the monks said to her,
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"May I help you? "
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She said, "Yes! I need
to get to the other side. "
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And so the
Christian monk decided
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not only to help
her to the other side
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but to put her on his shoulders
and carry her to the other side.
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After doing this,
later on at the monastery
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After doing this his companion
turned to him and said,
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"You know I have a
bone to pick with you! "
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Confused, the monk
said, "What is it brother? "
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He said, "You know,
we have taken a vow "
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"not only not to look at women "
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"but not even to touch them "
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"and you, my friend, have
broken both of those vows. "
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The monk, with a
smile replied to him,
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"My dear brother,
I left that lady "
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"on the other
side of the river. "
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"However, you're still
carrying her in your mind. "
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The Bible tells us
in 2 Corinthians 10
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we must cast down imaginations
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and every high
thing that exalts itself
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against the knowledge of God.
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and bring into
captivity every thought
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to the obedience of Christ.
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Today, we will study
the most beautiful mind
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the universe has ever known
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with the hope of
having that mind.
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Turn with me in your
Bible to Philippians 2:1
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and let's begin
studying that mind.
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Now, what lead me to this study
is, being consistently told
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that I must have
the mind of Christ
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but not having the answers
on how to attain that mind.
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Now the bible tells
us in Philippians 2:1
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the beginning of
having that mind.
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the Bible says this:
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Now this is an important text
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because this
clues us in to the theme
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of the book of Philippians.
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The book of
Philippians is a wonderful book.
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The word Philippian
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comes from the word Philippi.
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This province was settled by
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Alexander the Great's
father whose name was Phillip.
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And the name Phillip
means, 'lover of horses. '
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It's a compound Greek word
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coming from philos and hippo
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which means,
again, 'lover of horses. '
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And in ancient mythology
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in most cultures
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the horse was the quintessential
figure of stamina.
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and so this book is
the quintessential book
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on the stamina of the mind.
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The word 'mind ' repeats
itself at least ten times
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in the book of Philippians.
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telling us to have the same mind
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to be like minded.
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It tells us what
we should think upon
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what we should not think upon.
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And so whenever you
want to know about the mind
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whenever you want to
know about how your mind
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your character
and your personality
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should be or
what it should be like
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look at the book of Philippians.
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but here the author Paul
is cuing us in to something,
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He says, "we
must fulfill the joy "
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"that we be like minded
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"having the same
love, being of one accord "
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"of one mind. "
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That 'one accord
' is very important
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because in the Book of Acts
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the only way the
disciples were able to receive
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the full
outpouring of the Holy Spirit
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was because they
were gathered together
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in one place and of one accord.
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The Bible tells us in
the Book of Psalms 133
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"Behold how good
and how pleasant "
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"for brethren to
dwell together in unity. "
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And then it talks
about Aaron being anointed
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and the oil
dripping down his beard
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even to the hem of his garment.
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And at the hem of
the garment of the priest
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was a bell and a pomegranate.
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A pomegranate is a fruit!
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And so what we see is
this symbol of Jesus Christ
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going to heaven, being anointed
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and the oil which
represents the Holy Spirit
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trickling all the way down
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till it reached
the fruit of His labor
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then the disciples who were
gathered together in one place
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and of one accord
were able to go out
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and I tell you, that day
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three thousand people put in
transfers for church membership!
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I tell you that Jesus
Christ blesses exceedingly and
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abundantly above all that
we could have thought or asked.
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However let us
turn to our next text.
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In the book of Philippians
again reading contextually
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let's look at verse
three as we begin to look at
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I really don't sometimes
like using this word but
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the evolution of
the mind of Christ,
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the mind that we
are told to have.
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The Bible tells
us in Philippians 2:3
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Look at that, we
already see that this mind
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being likeminded,
being of one accord
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fulfilling the
joy, has something to do
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with how we treat our brethren.
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And where does Paul
get this example from?
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Well, I tell you
he is paraphrasing
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or very well quoting
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another text in Matthew 11:28
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Because the text just told
us we must be lowly of mind.
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Where have we
heard those words before?
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Well, I submit to you that we
heard them in Matthew 11:28,29
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from the lips of
the greatest teacher
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the world has ever known.
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Let's go there and
look at what Jesus Christ
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has to say in Matthew 11:28.
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Paul said, be lowly in mind,
Jesus said be lowly of heart.
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In the Bible the words
heart and mind are synonymous.
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Let's give an example, the
Bible tells us in Proverbs 23:7
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Note that 'mind ' and
'heart ' are synonyms.
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We think in our heart?
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Yes, because the mind
and the heart are synonymous.
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Let's follow out this thought.
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Turn in your Bible
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Solomon just told us
that as we think in our heart
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Now look at what
Jesus Christ has to say.
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Matthew 15:19
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Jesus tells us right here
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that those things
come from the heart.
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We think thoughts in our heart.
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This is why we
must pray that prayer
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Create in us a clean heart
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not only a clean
heart but also a clean mind
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and renew a
right spirit within us.
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The Bible is telling
us here that the heart
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and the mind are synonymous.
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So when Paul begins to
explain what this mind is like
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or who we should
be like minded with
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he gives us the
example of Jesus Christ
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and tells us we
must be lowly in mind.
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quoting Jesus Christ who
said He was lowly in heart.
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Now, we need to look at
this text very carefully.
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Philippians 2:3 says we should
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esteem others
better than ourselves.
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When someone tells you
to have the mind of Christ
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how do we have
the mind of Christ?
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We don't look at that person
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who is homeless, who doesn't
have as much money as we have
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who doesn't have the
nice car that we have
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we esteem them
better than ourselves.
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And where do we learn
this type of behavior?
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We learn it from none other
than the Great Savior Himself
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Jesus Christ, who saw in us
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things that we
don't even see ourselves.
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Brothers and sisters
I tell you today that
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I should not be standing here.
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There was a point
in time in my life
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where I was just a vagabond!
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This is the worst person.
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If you didn't
let me into your home
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I wouldn't blame you.
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I wouldn't say
that you were being
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wrong or you
were being mean to me.
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I would say you
were being smart.
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I come from the
streets of Los Angeles, CA
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where we can esteem
others better than ourselves
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for you'd never know who
might attempt to hurt you
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or harm you or your family or
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who doesn't have your
best interest in mind.
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But Jesus Christ tells us
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that we should be like He is.
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We should have His mind.
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And how was that mind?
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That mind is a mind that esteems
others better than ourselves.
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Don't clutch your
pockets when you walk
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by the person who
might look like a thief.
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You never know that may very
well have been Jesus Christ.
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He tells in Matthew 25:31
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He tells us that
when He comes back
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He's going to start
separating sheep from goats.
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And what is the prerequisite for
becoming a sheep or being goat?
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Well it's simple.
He goes on to delineate
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the sheer fact that
it's how you treated people
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that you didn't know that
could very well have been Him!
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He said, "I was hungry
and you didn't feed me. "
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"I was thirsty and you didn't
give me anything to drink. "
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"I was in jail and
you didn't visit me. "
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And the goats say,
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"When didn't we do
these things for you, Lord? "
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He said, "As much as you didn't
do them for the least of these "
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"you didn't do them for Me. "
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So when God
says to esteem others
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better than yourself
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this is the beginning
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of what constitutes
00:10:59.22\00:11:00.55
the mind of Christ.
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Let us read on in our text
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The Bible tells
us in Philippians 2:4
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Don't look at yourself
as better than someone else.
00:11:18.67\00:11:21.08
But look and see how
you can benefit or help
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someone else.
00:11:24.69\00:11:26.19
This is what the
mind of Christ is like.
00:11:26.22\00:11:28.14
Christ was sitting in heaven
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loving and being
loved by His Father
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dwelling in harmony and beauty
00:11:32.26\00:11:34.54
and He said to Himself
00:11:34.57\00:11:36.40
or said to His
Father which is Himself
00:11:36.43\00:11:38.72
He said, "Listen, I want them to
be better than what they are. "
00:11:38.75\00:11:42.61
"I can see something in them "
00:11:42.64\00:11:44.15
"that they don't
even see for themselves. "
00:11:44.18\00:11:45.51
And that's why
the Bible says here
00:11:45.54\00:11:47.22
"But every man also on
the things of others. "
00:11:47.25\00:11:49.75
Jesus Christ
looked on us and said,
00:11:49.78\00:11:51.22
"Listen, I have a
plan for Marquis "
00:11:51.25\00:11:53.98
"I have a plan for you
sitting out there today "
00:11:54.01\00:11:55.95
"that you are going to be some
thing that you don't even see. "
00:11:55.98\00:11:58.44
And so we must
follow this behavior
00:11:58.47\00:12:01.76
that Christ has modeled for us.
00:12:01.79\00:12:03.17
Looking at everyone
better than ourselves
00:12:03.20\00:12:06.58
and not looking on our things
00:12:06.61\00:12:09.17
and being so happy that
we have these nice things
00:12:09.20\00:12:11.59
but looking to see how
we can use those things
00:12:11.62\00:12:13.72
to benefit the
cause of Jesus Christ.
00:12:13.75\00:12:16.08
This is the beginning
of the Mind of Christ.
00:12:16.11\00:12:18.24
Let us turn to another text.
00:12:18.27\00:12:19.53
This text is
found in Philippians 2:5
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because this is what
we are talking about.
00:12:24.23\00:12:25.82
this is the climactic moment
00:12:25.85\00:12:27.37
of what Paul is trying to
write here in Philippians 2:5
00:12:27.40\00:12:30.50
And all too often you
hear this text quoted.
00:12:30.53\00:12:33.09
I know when I go to church
00:12:33.12\00:12:34.72
I hear the pastor say to me
00:12:34.75\00:12:36.15
let this mind be in you
that is also in Christ Jesus
00:12:36.18\00:12:38.81
I heard that text so many times
00:12:38.84\00:12:40.69
that I started agonizing
and praying and saying,
00:12:40.72\00:12:42.73
"Lord! How can I
have the mind of Christ? "
00:12:42.76\00:12:45.14
The mind of Christ is
pure and without taint
00:12:45.17\00:12:47.50
My mind has been tainted
by everything from rap music
00:12:47.53\00:12:50.75
to movies and television.
00:12:50.78\00:12:53.48
"Lord! How can I
now have this mind? "
00:12:53.51\00:12:55.50
And God responds in
Philippians 2 by saying,
00:12:55.53\00:12:58.49
It's not about necessarily
00:12:58.52\00:13:00.26
what's in your mind, although
00:13:00.29\00:13:01.64
you must, again,
cast down imaginations
00:13:01.67\00:13:03.77
and ever high
thing that exalts itself
00:13:03.80\00:13:05.54
against the knowledge of God.
00:13:05.57\00:13:06.64
But it is about how
you treat your brother.
00:13:06.67\00:13:09.35
How do you look at your brother?
00:13:09.38\00:13:10.45
How do you look at your sister?
00:13:10.48\00:13:11.59
You see I love when the
Gospel becomes practical.
00:13:11.62\00:13:14.17
Because all too often I
hear the text of Matthew 24:14
00:13:14.20\00:13:19.62
"And this
Gospel of the Kingdom "
00:13:19.65\00:13:21.87
"shall be
preached in all the world "
00:13:21.90\00:13:22.98
"for a witness unto all nations
and then shall the end come. "
00:13:23.01\00:13:25.55
But we stop there and then we
00:13:25.58\00:13:27.01
jump over to another
text that's a beautiful text
00:13:27.04\00:13:29.40
in Revelation 14:6 which says,
00:13:29.43\00:13:31.50
"I saw another angel
flying in the midst of heaven "
00:13:31.53\00:13:33.77
"having the everlasting gospel "
00:13:33.80\00:13:35.45
"to preach to them
that dwell on the earth "
00:13:35.48\00:13:37.40
"to every nation,
to every kindred "
00:13:37.43\00:13:39.07
"and tongue and people. "
00:13:39.10\00:13:40.34
However I want us to back to
Matthew 24 sometimes and start
00:13:40.37\00:13:43.69
looking at what happened before.
00:13:43.72\00:13:45.75
What happened
before and let this mind.
00:13:45.78\00:13:48.26
What is this mind? and it says,
00:13:48.29\00:13:49.91
"He that endures to the end, the
same shall be saved " verse 13,
00:13:49.94\00:13:53.32
And verse 12 says,
"Because iniquity abounds "
00:13:53.36\00:13:57.47
"the love of many waxes cold. "
00:13:57.50\00:13:59.30
But what is
interesting is in verse 10
00:13:59.33\00:14:01.47
where this thought
really begins in verse 10
00:14:01.50\00:14:03.85
Jesus Christ starts talking
about hate and deception.
00:14:03.88\00:14:07.43
He says that hate starts making
people betray one another.
00:14:07.46\00:14:10.39
And then after
that he goes on and
00:14:10.42\00:14:11.87
in verse 11 he says, "And then
many false prophets arise. "
00:14:11.90\00:14:15.16
So what prepares the way
for deception? It's hate!
00:14:15.19\00:14:18.28
And then He says,
"Because iniquity abounds "
00:14:18.31\00:14:20.71
"the love of many waxes cold. "
00:14:20.74\00:14:21.99
What is the
remedy for deception?
00:14:22.02\00:14:24.83
It's Love.
00:14:24.86\00:14:25.85
Just like hate
prepares the way for deception
00:14:25.88\00:14:27.79
the remedy to deception is Love.
00:14:27.82\00:14:31.26
And that Gospel of the
Kingdom shall be preached
00:14:31.29\00:14:34.35
unto all the world for a witness
00:14:34.38\00:14:36.00
unto all nations and
then shall the end come.
00:14:36.03\00:14:37.77
It is the Gospel of Love!
00:14:37.80\00:14:39.24
Now some people out there say,
00:14:39.27\00:14:41.37
"You know, we can't
dwell on the character of God "
00:14:41.40\00:14:44.72
"or the Love aspect of God, "
00:14:44.75\00:14:46.37
"we must also
look at other things. "
00:14:46.40\00:14:47.49
But let me tell you something:
the Bible tells me very clearly
00:14:47.52\00:14:49.83
in 1 John 4:8
that "God Is Love. "
00:14:49.86\00:14:54.83
That's who He Is!
00:14:54.86\00:14:55.87
It's a transcript
00:14:55.90\00:14:56.87
of His character.
00:14:56.88\00:14:57.85
and so if we really want to be
00:14:57.86\00:14:59.26
or have the mind of Christ
00:14:59.29\00:15:00.74
we must have also the love
00:15:00.77\00:15:02.28
of Christ in our hearts.
00:15:02.31\00:15:03.43
Without the love of Christ
00:15:03.46\00:15:04.44
in your heart how can you very
well have the mind of Christ?
00:15:04.47\00:15:06.57
This is a question we
must be asking ourselves.
00:15:06.60\00:15:09.51
How can I have
the mind of Christ
00:15:09.54\00:15:12.15
without the love of Christ?
00:15:12.18\00:15:13.69
And if I don't
have the love of Christ
00:15:13.72\00:15:15.15
then I am deceived!
00:15:15.18\00:15:16.69
Jeremiah 17:5 tells us we
shouldn't worry about deception
00:15:16.72\00:15:21.27
coming from somewhere else.
00:15:21.30\00:15:22.27
We should worry about
deception coming from the heart.
00:15:22.28\00:15:25.23
Because in Matthew 24 the
disciples come to Him and say,
00:15:25.26\00:15:28.36
"Lord, what shall be
the sign of Your coming? "
00:15:28.39\00:15:30.33
"what shall be the sign
of the end of the world? "
00:15:30.36\00:15:31.95
And the first thing that
Jesus Christ tells them is,
00:15:31.98\00:15:33.62
"Take heed that
no man deceive you. "
00:15:33.65\00:15:38.06
Where is the
greatest threat of deception?
00:15:38.09\00:15:39.93
Jeremiah 17:9 says,
00:15:39.96\00:15:41.60
"The heart is
deceitful above all things "
00:15:41.63\00:15:44.26
"and desperately
wicked. Who can know it? "
00:15:44.29\00:15:45.86
My heart is more deceitful
than any man could be to me!
00:15:45.89\00:15:50.79
And that's why we
must think in our hearts
00:15:50.82\00:15:53.27
or in our minds -cause
remember they're synonymous-
00:15:53.30\00:15:56.00
we must think the
way Christ thought.
00:15:56.03\00:15:59.10
This is why
Romans 12 tell us this,
00:15:59.13\00:16:01.62
Romans 12:1 says, "I
beg you therefore brethren "
00:16:01.65\00:16:08.89
"I beg you therefore
brethren by the mercies of God "
00:16:08.92\00:16:11.75
"that you present your
bodies as a living sacrifice "
00:16:11.78\00:16:14.00
"holy, acceptable unto God,
it's your reasonable service. "
00:16:14.03\00:16:17.89
"And be not
conformed by this world "
00:16:17.92\00:16:20.12
"but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind "
00:16:20.15\00:16:24.69
"Be transformed by the
renewing of your heart. "
00:16:24.72\00:16:27.86
Because the heart
is desperately wicked
00:16:27.89\00:16:30.15
and deceitful above all things.
00:16:30.18\00:16:31.21
This is why the
Holy Spirit inspired Paul
00:16:31.24\00:16:35.78
to write a whole
book about the mind.
00:16:35.81\00:16:38.99
And how do we have
the mind of Christ?
00:16:39.02\00:16:42.06
We've seen thus
far in verses 3 and 4
00:16:42.09\00:16:44.40
that as we esteem
others better than ourselves
00:16:44.43\00:16:47.05
we do nothing
through strife or vainglory.
00:16:47.08\00:16:49.30
This goes back to a
point I make all the time about
00:16:49.33\00:16:51.75
"what is our motive? "
00:16:51.78\00:16:53.51
Now, I can't judge your
motives or your character.
00:16:53.54\00:16:55.63
But we can look
in our hearts and see
00:16:55.66\00:16:57.72
why are we doing things.
00:16:57.75\00:16:59.00
Many people send
money off to people
00:16:59.03\00:17:00.46
in the foreign mission fields
00:17:00.49\00:17:01.48
only because somebody's watching
00:17:01.51\00:17:04.20
When Mission
Spotlight comes around
00:17:04.23\00:17:07.14
somebody stands up and says,
00:17:07.17\00:17:09.58
"I'm sending this much
or sending that much. "
00:17:09.61\00:17:11.44
That's not what it's about.
00:17:11.47\00:17:12.47
It's about doing
what God tells you.
00:17:12.50\00:17:13.87
If God tells you to extend
$1 that's better than if you
00:17:13.90\00:17:17.06
tell yourself to send $1000.
00:17:17.09\00:17:18.62
This is what we
must concentrate on
00:17:18.65\00:17:21.47
is having the mind of Christ.
00:17:21.50\00:17:22.61
And again, I
can't say it enough,
00:17:22.64\00:17:24.33
'What is the mind
of Christ based on? '
00:17:24.36\00:17:26.15
It's based on how
you treat your brother.
00:17:26.18\00:17:29.08
You can keep all the
commandments in the world
00:17:29.11\00:17:32.25
but if you are
treating your brother badly
00:17:32.28\00:17:33.72
your breaking the commandments.
00:17:33.75\00:17:34.72
You will be
breaking the commandments if
00:17:34.73\00:17:36.59
you're not treating
your brother the right way.
00:17:36.62\00:17:38.15
If you walk into
church on the right day
00:17:38.18\00:17:39.89
but have hatred in your
heart towards your brother
00:17:39.92\00:17:42.82
you are breaking all
the other commandments.
00:17:42.85\00:17:44.17
Because Christ told us if
00:17:44.20\00:17:45.56
you hate your
brother you've murdered him.
00:17:45.59\00:17:47.30
Brothers and sisters
we really need to think
00:17:47.33\00:17:50.69
about how we treat one another.
00:17:50.72\00:17:52.86
Stop thinking
about how we are seen.
00:17:52.89\00:17:54.97
Stop thinking about how
nice you come to church.
00:17:55.00\00:17:57.13
That's not what it's about.
00:17:57.16\00:17:58.30
It's about how you're
treating your brothers.
00:17:58.33\00:18:00.00
How are you
treating brothers and sisters
00:18:00.03\00:18:01.71
of other denominations.
00:18:01.74\00:18:02.71
Do you look down on them?
00:18:02.72\00:18:04.05
How do you treat people
in your own denomination
00:18:04.08\00:18:06.62
who don't have the truth
you think they should have?
00:18:06.65\00:18:09.36
Do you look down on them?
00:18:09.39\00:18:10.54
Or, do you esteem them
better than yourselves?
00:18:10.57\00:18:12.80
Are you willing to resist
unto blood for that person,
00:18:12.83\00:18:17.36
Are you willing to go to
the cross for that person?
00:18:17.39\00:18:19.34
'Cause if you're not you
need to get down on your knees
00:18:19.37\00:18:22.48
and you need to start
praying for yourself and them.
00:18:22.51\00:18:25.63
Jesus died for that person.
00:18:25.66\00:18:27.43
And that's what we
must always remember.
00:18:27.46\00:18:29.69
We must remember that
every person that you see
00:18:29.72\00:18:31.96
is a person that Jesus shed His
precious blood on Calvary for!
00:18:31.99\00:18:37.62
This is the
most important thing.
00:18:37.65\00:18:40.02
This is what Philippians
2:5 is talking about.
00:18:40.05\00:18:43.42
Turn with me in your
Bibles to Philippians 2:5
00:18:43.45\00:18:45.76
That's the mind that
doesn't look on how many things
00:19:00.13\00:19:03.48
he has amassed.
00:19:03.51\00:19:04.63
It's the mind that
doesn't look at everybody
00:19:04.66\00:19:06.93
as if they're
lower than himself.
00:19:06.96\00:19:08.38
It's the mind
that's willing to sacrifice
00:19:08.41\00:19:10.75
for people that he
might not even know.
00:19:10.78\00:19:14.49
You know, my wife and I
just got back from Bolivia.
00:19:14.52\00:19:18.04
There we were on a mission trip.
00:19:18.07\00:19:20.35
And this is one of the
hardest things we've ever done
00:19:20.38\00:19:23.06
'cause we're city folks.
00:19:23.09\00:19:24.24
And we went out to Bolivia
00:19:24.27\00:19:26.21
and we're thinking,
'we're going to go out there '
00:19:26.24\00:19:27.96
'and we're going to help out '
00:19:27.99\00:19:28.96
'and we're going to have
some nice place to sleep. '
00:19:28.97\00:19:30.95
Oh no no no, we
had to bring tents.
00:19:30.98\00:19:33.63
We brought tents and
we camped for 14 days.
00:19:33.66\00:19:40.35
Not only did we camp for 14 days
00:19:40.38\00:19:42.39
but in order to get to
the site we were going to
00:19:42.42\00:19:44.18
we had to drive 20 hours
through the Andes mountains
00:19:44.21\00:19:47.19
on a road called Death Road!
00:19:47.22\00:19:48.80
So we drove down this road;
00:19:48.83\00:19:51.22
we got to this camp.
00:19:51.25\00:19:52.22
The moment we got to this camp
it started raining and pouring.
00:19:52.23\00:19:55.35
And we had to move our luggage
from the bus to the camp site
00:19:55.38\00:19:58.28
where there was
only a tarp set up.
00:19:58.31\00:19:59.73
Then we had to pitch camp
during this rain and this was
00:19:59.76\00:20:02.62
South American tropical rain.
00:20:02.65\00:20:05.53
Pouring down.
00:20:05.56\00:20:08.22
So we set up our tent
00:20:08.25\00:20:09.79
and those of us who'd
been traveling for 20 hours
00:20:09.82\00:20:11.86
what did we want to do?
00:20:11.89\00:20:12.86
Well we wanted to take a bath.
00:20:12.87\00:20:13.84
We were pointed to
where we'd be bathing.
00:20:13.85\00:20:15.97
It was a stream.
00:20:16.00\00:20:17.31
We had to bathe in a stream.
00:20:17.34\00:20:19.68
Now the ladies had a stream that
was sectioned off from the men
00:20:19.71\00:20:23.16
and they bathed upstream.
00:20:23.19\00:20:25.20
But upstream from them was where
00:20:25.23\00:20:27.33
we cleaned our pots and pans.
00:20:27.36\00:20:28.44
So we cleaned our pots and
pans in one part of the stream
00:20:28.47\00:20:31.24
it trickled down to
where the women bathed,
00:20:31.27\00:20:33.42
they bathed, then it trickled
down to where the guys bathed.
00:20:33.45\00:20:35.30
Then we got up
everyday and had worship.
00:20:35.33\00:20:38.79
And after worship we
got to work mixing cement.
00:20:38.82\00:20:41.23
Now I went
there, I'm the chaplain,
00:20:41.26\00:20:42.61
I'm supposed to be spiritual but
00:20:42.64\00:20:43.87
God told me, "Don't preach. "
00:20:43.90\00:20:45.58
"Don't preach the
message, live the message. "
00:20:45.61\00:20:48.57
"get out there
and mix the cement "
00:20:48.60\00:20:51.11
"dig 3 feet
holes, carry bricks "
00:20:51.14\00:20:54.88
"carry cement, carry mortar. "
00:20:54.91\00:20:56.74
And this is what
God was giving to me
00:20:56.77\00:20:58.61
as an experience
because I was doing this
00:20:58.64\00:21:00.91
for some people I
did not even know.
00:21:00.94\00:21:02.82
I didn't know these kids.
00:21:02.85\00:21:05.68
But these kids, as
we were there with them
00:21:05.71\00:21:07.73
and we met them and
we talked with them.
00:21:07.76\00:21:09.20
These were children
who had lost their parents,
00:21:09.23\00:21:11.66
children who their
parents had abandoned them
00:21:11.69\00:21:15.11
or were on alcohol and
didn't care where they were.
00:21:15.14\00:21:17.10
And God gave a young
lady a dream, a vision
00:21:17.13\00:21:20.33
of building in
Ruranabake, Bolivia
00:21:20.36\00:21:23.19
a place where these
kids could have refuge.
00:21:23.22\00:21:25.70
Now she didn't know these kids.
00:21:25.73\00:21:28.17
We didn't know these kids.
00:21:28.20\00:21:29.77
But as we lay hold
of the mind Of Christ
00:21:29.80\00:21:31.87
we do things for
others and we esteem others
00:21:31.90\00:21:35.41
better than ourselves.
00:21:35.44\00:21:36.81
We give up these
precious amenities
00:21:36.84\00:21:38.65
that we have at home,
00:21:38.68\00:21:39.65
the washers and dryers because
00:21:39.66\00:21:40.86
we also had to wash
our clothes in that stream.
00:21:40.89\00:21:43.57
We give up the nice warm bed.
00:21:43.60\00:21:45.62
We sleep in tents where it rains
00:21:45.65\00:21:47.71
and people are
flooded out and have
00:21:47.74\00:21:49.09
to go to other peoples
tents and sleep with them.
00:21:49.12\00:21:51.20
We gave up the nice food that
00:21:51.23\00:21:54.86
we can go to the
restaurant and eat.
00:21:54.89\00:21:56.53
We ate limes and lemons.
00:21:56.56\00:21:58.28
We take for
granted here in America
00:21:58.31\00:22:01.23
that we can go to the market
and get any fruit that we want.
00:22:01.26\00:22:04.16
In America we can
00:22:04.19\00:22:05.65
go to the store and if it's
00:22:05.68\00:22:06.65
orange season or not
00:22:06.66\00:22:07.63
we can get oranges.
00:22:07.64\00:22:08.61
If it's apple season or not,
00:22:08.62\00:22:09.81
Gala or Fuji which I like
00:22:09.84\00:22:11.95
you can get them year round.
00:22:11.98\00:22:13.31
But there you can only get
the fruit that is in season.
00:22:13.34\00:22:17.57
We missed mango season so
what were we living off of?
00:22:17.60\00:22:21.72
We were living off of
grape fruits, limes and lemons.
00:22:21.75\00:22:24.81
I grew up detesting grapefruit.
00:22:24.84\00:22:26.64
But I ate so many green
grapefruits that I probably
00:22:26.67\00:22:29.25
don't want to see
another grapefruit.
00:22:29.28\00:22:30.76
But these are the
things that you do
00:22:30.79\00:22:33.19
when Christ is in your heart.
00:22:33.22\00:22:34.35
I'm not saying that I'm
any better than anyone else.
00:22:34.38\00:22:37.03
I'm saying that I
decided to give God a chance.
00:22:37.06\00:22:40.62
I decided to try Him.
00:22:40.65\00:22:42.26
You know, there's a
story about a young man.
00:22:42.29\00:22:44.22
This young man who was wayward
00:22:44.25\00:22:46.17
and his mother had
been praying for him.
00:22:46.20\00:22:48.31
And finally he came around.
00:22:48.34\00:22:51.85
When he came around the first
thing he asked his mother for
00:22:51.88\00:22:54.53
was for a Bible.
00:22:54.56\00:22:56.32
His mother decided because
she didn't have time to go out
00:22:56.35\00:22:58.94
and buy him a Bible
she'd give him her old Bible.
00:22:58.97\00:23:01.61
So he took this Bible
home and he began studying it.
00:23:01.64\00:23:04.91
He began reading it.
00:23:04.94\00:23:06.09
As he began
going through different
00:23:06.12\00:23:07.63
books, chapters and verses
00:23:07.66\00:23:09.28
he began noticing T's
next to certain verses
00:23:09.31\00:23:12.62
and P's next to others.
00:23:12.65\00:23:14.22
He kept noticing
this to the point that
00:23:14.25\00:23:17.78
he had to know
what these represented.
00:23:17.81\00:23:20.42
The best way to find out
was to go to the person who
00:23:20.45\00:23:22.57
may have very well have
put them there, his mother.
00:23:22.60\00:23:24.94
So he goes to his mom and says,
00:23:24.97\00:23:26.20
"Mom, I've been
reading the Bible. "
00:23:26.23\00:23:27.81
"I've been studying it. "
00:23:27.84\00:23:28.81
And this just made
that woman's heart rejoice.
00:23:28.84\00:23:30.65
He said, "However, I
have a question for you. "
00:23:30.68\00:23:33.88
"There are certain texts
that have T's next to them "
00:23:33.91\00:23:37.74
"and others that have P's. "
00:23:37.77\00:23:39.20
"Why is that Mom? Why is that? "
00:23:39.23\00:23:41.88
And she smiled and said to him,
00:23:41.91\00:23:44.28
"Well the T's stand
for when I tried God. "
00:23:44.31\00:23:46.94
"And the P's are
when He proved Himself. "
00:23:46.97\00:23:48.97
I submit to you
brothers and sisters try God
00:23:49.00\00:23:51.19
and He will prove Himself.
00:23:51.22\00:23:52.87
And all I did was, try God.
00:23:52.90\00:23:56.36
He said, "There's a
mission trip. Go on it. "
00:23:56.39\00:23:58.95
I went on the mission trip.
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And as I was there He started
changing my heart and mind,
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giving me the
beautiful mind of Jesus Christ.
00:24:07.45\00:24:11.42
And giving me the
will to mix cement
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because we didn't
have cement mixers.
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We had to mix cement by hand,
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5 barrels of sand to
every 12 bags of cement.
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We had to mix them by
hand, we had to dig these holes.
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With shovels we
dug 3 foot deep holes.
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We had to lay this foundation.
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We had to lay bricks and I'd
never laid bricks in my life.
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But I was out there because
Jesus would have been out there.
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And that's what
He was showing me.
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He said, "Don't look
at all these nice things "
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"you have at home Marquis. "
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"Look at these young kids
who don't have these things. "
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"And I died for them. "
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"I died for them the
same way I died for you. "
00:24:48.10\00:24:50.86
"So, sacrifice. "
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And so for 2 weeks my
wife and I sacrificed.
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And Lord have mercy,
now my wife is telling me
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she wants to go to
the foreign mission field.
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So please pray for me.
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However, I want us
to key in on this idea
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of having the mind of Christ.
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You know, I'd like
to tell you a story.
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One that is very close to home.
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I grew up, as I said, in
south-central Los Angeles, CA.
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and back home I grew up
looking up to gang members
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and drug dealers
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not only those on the street but
some that were in my own house,
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some that that were
my own family members.
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And there's a particular
story about this one gang leader
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not just a gang
member but a gang leader.
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He was known to carry a knife
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and not afraid to use it.
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He would
frequently harass the locals
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and didn't mind traveling
to other neighborhoods,
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as it were, and
harassing people over there.
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His name was caught up in
00:25:40.43\00:25:44.05
one of the most notorious
murder cases of his day.
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But one day this gang leader
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he met Jesus Christ.
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And upon meeting Jesus Christ
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he decided to accept
Christ into his heart.
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And he went from a
pusher to a preacher.
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He began preaching
not only to the people who
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he saw as his
brothers and sisters
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but also those people he
once harassed and annoyed.
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And his heart was so touched
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because this to him was
the essence of Christianity.
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He had been given the beautiful
mind, the mind of Christ.
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This gang leader was infamous
not only in Los Angeles, CA
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but the world over.
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you know him, his name is Paul.
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Yes, Paul.
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And once Paul
accepted Jesus Christ
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he became one of
the greatest evangelists
00:26:37.40\00:26:40.43
the world has ever known.
00:26:40.46\00:26:41.71
If it can happen for Paul,
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it can happen for me
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then it can happen for you.
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Paul not only
accepted Christ into His life
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but he traded in that
knife for a new weapon.
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And that weapon is found
00:26:55.09\00:26:56.90
in 1 Peter 4:1
00:26:56.93\00:27:00.92
Turn with me if you will
in your bibles to 1 Peter 4:1
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And the bible says this:
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Paul decided to
put down his knife
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and pick up a new weapon,
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the mind of Christ.
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How many of us are
wielding weapons today
00:27:28.11\00:27:30.71
that profit us nothing
00:27:30.74\00:27:32.42
and need to put
those weapons down
00:27:32.45\00:27:34.82
and arm ourselves
with the mind of Christ?
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Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 10
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"The weapons of our
warfare are not carnal "
00:27:39.35\00:27:41.42
"but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strongholds. "
00:27:41.45\00:27:44.11
I submit to you
that what you should do
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is what Paul did.
00:27:47.58\00:27:49.17
Put down the weapon
00:27:49.20\00:27:51.11
and pick up the mind
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the beautiful mind of Christ.
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God bless you.
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