If you look at 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 7, this is a verse that a lot of preachers
have been quoting in recent days, even in social media and places of the like.
They're often posting this same verse in 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse 7, which reads,
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of
a sound mind.
And what is being emphasized here is that the Bible tells us he's not given us a
spirit of fear.
And we're living in times right now, unprecedented times, I've never been in a situation like
this in my lifetime.
And for you kids that are growing up, you know, you're going to look back in the past
when you're growing up as older adults, and you're going to go, remember that coronavirus?
Remember the effects?
Remember the fear?
Remember how we ran out of toilet paper, and you're going to have all these thoughts,
you're going to look back?
But you know, it is a time of fear for many people in this world.
And what's being emphasized here is that God has not given us a spirit of fear.
Now if you're feeling fearful, I can understand, okay, because we are weak, because we are
made of flesh and blood, because we do have that nature in us, I understand if you
have fear, but the Bible tells us that God did not give us that spirit of fear.
That fear has come from this world.
That fear may have come from the media.
That fear may have come from, you know, concern of death and your health and these things,
but it's not come from God.
But what has God given you?
It says here, he's given us a power and of love and of a sound mind.
You know, in order for us to get through this period of fear, we need to go to the
Lord and ask him for that spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind.
Brethren, we need a sound mind today.
We need to make sure that our minds are ready to go through these challenges that
we're facing now and that we're going to face over the next several days, maybe weeks,
maybe months, we don't know.
But we need to have a sound mind.
This is not the time to have a fearful mind.
This is not the time to have a mental breakdown.
Okay, when the Bible says a sound mind, what does sound mean?
It means something that is whole, something that is unbroken, something that is healthy,
firm or strong.
What I'm saying is we need to be mentally strong in this day and age.
And as this verse is often quoted, 2 Timothy 1.7, we say, okay, we need to have this
sound mind, but the question is, well, how do we get that sound mind?
What can we do?
Yes, the Lord gives it to us, but what can we do to check if our minds are sound
or if they're not sound?
And that's what I want to be focused on today.
And so the title for the sermon is Be Mentally Strong, Be Mentally Strong.
We often talk about being maybe physically strong and we're saying that, hey, if you're
physically weak, the elderly, these are the people that are succumbing to this virus.
So yes, it is important to be physically strong.
Sometimes we talk about being spiritually strong, being close to the Lord, that's important
to be physically strong, to be physically mature, but we also need to be mentally strong.
And that's the purpose for this sermon is so we can say, hey, how well are we doing
mentally?
Are we weak or are we strong?
Now if you can, please go to Luke chapter 12 in your Bibles.
Go to Luke chapter 12 because I think what we want to be looking at now is what is
the wrong state of mind to have right now?
What is the wrong state of mind to have?
How will you be mentally weak?
Well if you go to Luke 12, look at verse number 27, Luke 12 verse number 27, these
are the words of Jesus and he says consider the lilies, how they grow.
They toil not, they spin not, yet I say unto you that Solomon in all his glory was
not arrayed like one of these.
You know Jesus says look the flowers, the lilies, you know my wife Christina, her favorite
flower are the lilies and they're beautiful, they are beautiful to look at, but are they
beautiful because they worked?
Because they toiled?
Did they make themselves beautiful?
No, you know, and yet this is something that we need to understand, that it is God
who created the lilies, it is God who gave the lilies its beauty, you know it's
God that has made them, made those flowers to look and function the way they do.
Look at verse number 28, if then God so clothed the grass which is today in the field and
tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, oh ye of little
faith?
What does God promise us here?
That God will always provide us clothing, okay?
He will always provide us raiment to put on.
Let's keep going, verse number 29.
And seek not ye what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful
mind.
So this is the first thing that we need to think about.
If we want to be mentally strong, we can't be someone of doubtful mind, okay?
What does it mean to be of doubtful mind?
Well what did we see there in verse number 29?
And seek not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink, he mentioned the clothing, but
not just the clothing, but your food.
And brethren let me ask you, are you fearful about whether you're going to eat,
you know, tomorrow?
Are you fearful that you're going to run out of food, that your pantry is going
to be empty, that your fridge is going to be empty?
Are you fearful that you'll go hungry?
Are you fearful that you won't have the clothes you need for tomorrow and for your
life?
Will God provide for the flowers?
God provides for the grass, which is here today and gone tomorrow.
How much more will God provide for you?
Look at verse number 30.
For all these things do the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knoweth
that ye have need of these things.
Your Father knows that you need your clothing.
He knows that you need your food and your drink.
He understands these things, brethren.
So you don't need to be fearful, but who is fearful about these things?
Who are of doubtful mind?
The nations of the world seek after these things.
Do you wonder why the grocery shops are empty?
Do you wonder why when you go to the meat section, it's running out of meat?
You know why the toilet paper section is empty?
Because the world is fearful, the world is of double mind.
You know, and it is frustrating.
You go and you get the things you need, but they're not on the shelves.
It can be frustrating, but listen, because the ungodly world is of doubtful mind.
They don't think that they can be provided for.
So they need to go and hoard these things.
They panic about these things.
But you, Christian, you should not be someone of doubtful mind.
You have a God that will provide for you, amen?
God will provide for you your food, your arraignments.
And so listen, you go, when you have those fears, when you start to have a doubtful
mind, you run to God and say, God, you promised me in your word that you're going to provide
these things for me.
I'm trusting you, Lord.
But the world, the ungodly world, who are they, what are they trusting?
They're hoarding.
They're trusting.
Their toilet paper.
They're trusting.
The things they can get off the shelves.
They think if I can have these things off the shelves, that's going to protect me.
That's going to provide my need to know.
But as Christians, we need to know that it is God who provides these things for us.
You will not go without on these essential needs.
And you know what?
I often think about the Lord's prayer, how the Lord was asked by his disciples to teach
them how to pray, and the Lord prays.
And one of the things he says in Matthew 6-11, when he's praying to the Father as
an example, he says, give us this day our daily bread.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And I've said this before in previous sermons, but as Australians, how often do we truly
pray for our daily bread?
How often do we go, Lord, God, I need you to provide my food today.
I need you to provide my food tomorrow.
We don't often pray this because our pantries are full.
Our fridges are full.
We have the resources we need.
Hey, but we're coming to a time where even the grocery shops are running out of
produce, they're running out of food, okay, because people are panicking.
And so this comes, this is the point now, brethren, if you're finding that your shelves
are starting to get a bit empty, hey, maybe it's time for you to pray this prayer.
Give us this day our daily bread.
We can finally understand what it is like to be people of other nations that don't
know if they're going to be fed.
We can finally start to comprehend why Jesus would pray such a prayer.
And this is something you need to start applying into your lives.
You know, don't be someone of doubtful mind.
Now if you can please go to Romans chapter 8 for me.
Romans chapter 8.
We saw that we should not be people of doubtful mind, okay.
We want to be mentally strong.
And if you start to have doubts about your provisions, that's going to cause you
to lose strength mentally.
No, that's not what you want.
But go to Romans 8 and verse number 5.
How else can we help out, help us to have strong minds?
Romans 8 verse 5 says,
But they that are after the flesh, look at this, do mind.
Hey what's your mind focused on?
For they that are after the flesh, do mind the things of the flesh.
But they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit.
Brethren, what do you focus on?
What is your mind on?
When you think about things, what are you thinking about?
Are you thinking about carnal things, fleshly things?
Or are you thinking about spiritual things?
Okay, let's keep going.
Verse number 6.
For to be carnally minded is death.
But to be spiritually minded, look at this, is life and peace.
Hey, this is a time where we need peace, don't we?
There's a lot of fear.
We need the peace.
We need the peace of God.
But are we going to get it by being carnally minded?
The Bible says, no, we need to be spiritually minded.
That's where life and peace is.
Verse number 7.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God,
for it is not subject to the law of Christ, neither indeed can be.
And so the carnal mind, if you're thinking things of the flesh,
you're thinking about how you can sin, how you can give in to your temptations,
how you're thinking about worldly things, things that are contrary to God,
you're not going to have the peace of God,
but it's going to cause you to be an enemy toward God.
And it said at the end of verse number 7,
it is not subject to the law of God.
Listen, when you're struggling with sin,
it's because you're struggling with that carnal mind.
That carnal mind can't help but sin against God.
And so you need to have spiritual minds.
Not only should you be someone that doesn't have a doubtful mind,
you need to be someone that does not have a carnal mind either.
Look at verse number 8.
So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
If you're in the flesh, if you're carnally minded,
you cannot please God.
You cannot do what's right.
You cannot follow His commands.
You cannot serve God.
You cannot work for God if you're carnally minded.
We need to be spiritually minded, the Bible tells us, right?
We want to please God and those that are in the flesh,
the Bible says, cannot please God.
And that's contrary to Hebrews 11.
You don't need to turn there, I'll just read it to you.
Hebrews 11 verse 6, which says,
But without faith it is impossible to please Him.
For he that cometh to God must believe that He is,
and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
How do we overcome this carnal mind?
We must diligently seek God.
We must put an effort into knowing what God wants.
Read this Word.
See His commands.
See His will.
See what He wants in our lives.
We need to be diligent in that and then live after the things that we see of God.
He will reward you when you're that way.
And you need that faith.
You need to be faithful.
Have faith toward God.
That's how you please Him.
Without faith, you will not please Him.
Without faith, you will find yourself being carnally minded.
So what are those two things so far?
We can't be someone of doubtful mind.
Number two, we can't be someone who is of a carnal mind.
Now let me show you what are the results of being carnally minded.
We saw that we cannot please God.
But if you can please go to 1 Corinthians chapter 3.
Go to 1 Corinthians chapter 3 for me.
And we can see here in this passage the results of being carnally minded.
And the Corinthian church at this point in time as this epistle was written to the
Corinthian church, they were carnally minded.
Look at 1 Corinthians 3 verse 1.
It says here,
And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even
as unto babes in Christ.
What do you see there?
If you're carnally minded.
If you're carnal.
What's that in comparison to?
As someone who is a babe in Christ.
A little baby spiritually.
You would be a little baby if you're carnally minded.
So the first result of being carnally minded is that it stunts your spiritual growth.
You won't be able to mature.
You won't be able to grow in knowledge, grow in your fellowship with God, grow in
your works for God.
You won't be able to grow spiritually if you're carnally minded.
The Bible says you will remain as babes.
Look at verse number 2.
The Bible says,
I have fed you with milk and not with meat, and hitherto ye were not able to bear it,
neither yet now are ye able.
Listen, the Bible has doctrines that are like milk, easy to digest, but the Bible
also has doctrines that's full of meat.
That's very meaty.
It requires maturity.
It requires you to grow with a fork and a knife to be able to cut into that word
of God and chew on it.
You can't just swallow.
With milk, you can just swallow milk.
You don't need to put a lot of effort.
But with meat, you need to put it in your mouth, bite into it, chew on it, digest
that meat.
There are great truths in the word of God, but it requires someone who is able
to take in the meat, and if you're carnally minded, you're going to lose the ability
to take in the deeper, meatier spiritual truths of the word of God.
These are the results of being carnally minded.
Look at verse number three.
It says,
So what else is a result of being carnally minded?
Is that you're going to have envy and strife divisions, right?
It produces a life of strife and divisions with your church members, with your church
brethren.
That's the result of a carnal mind.
Have you had divisions?
Have you had conflicts with people in your church?
Say, well, maybe I have.
Well, if that's the case, it's because you've been carnally minded at that point
in time.
And so these are the results, brethren.
We can't be carnally minded.
We must be spiritually minded.
All right.
Now, please go to 2 Thessalonians.
Second Thessalonians chapter two.
Second Thessalonians chapter two, verse one.
And this is a very common passage.
I've been teaching on this very recently on the end times.
And I don't want you to be focused too much about the end times here.
I just want you to think about the mental state.
We want to be mentally strong.
Second Thessalonians chapter two, verse one.
The Bible reads,
Then notice the next words.
What does it mean to be shaken in mind?
It means to be troubled, right?
To be upset, to be worried, to be troubled with many things.
And then, you know, again, we're living at a time when a lot of people are fearful.
A lot of people are troubled.
They're distressed about what's happening.
In fact, they are shaken in mind.
Okay, if they're shaken in mind, are they steady?
Are they sound?
Are they strong?
Are they mentally strong if you're shaken in mind?
Of course not.
Okay, you cannot be mentally strong if you are shaken in mind.
Look, drop down to verse number 15 now in the same chapter.
Instead of being shaken in mind, the Bible tells us here in 2 Thessalonians 2.15,
What does it mean to stand fast?
Remain strong, remain grounded, stand fast, you know, be steadfast, as it were, right?
We need to be mentally strong.
This word has lost it.
This is an ungodly word.
I feel sorry for them because they don't have the Lord God.
You've got the Lord God.
If you're saved, you have the Spirit of God, you know, He gives you strength.
You can stand fast, you can be steadfast, and this is how we need to be, brethren, not
shaken in mind.
If you're shaken in mind, you need to ask God to help you to be steadfast.
Let's keep going.
Verse number 15, or let's read it again.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold.
How do we stand fast?
Look at this.
And hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle.
How can you remain steadfast, brethren, in this difficult time?
The Bible says here to hold to the traditions that ye have been taught, whether by word
or our epistle.
Our epistle is, the epistle, we find them in the word of God, don't we?
This is where we go.
So how do we stand strong?
Then we need to go and read the word of God, but not just reading the word of
God.
It says, sorry, what did it say there in verse number 15?
Our 15 says, whether by word.
So the preaching that you've heard, you know, you need to go back mentally and remember
the things you've heard before, the things you've heard your pastor preach, the things
you've heard other great preachers preach.
You need to go back and remember, hey, I've been taught about these things.
You know, I was taught at a time when things weren't so much in turmoil.
And you need to go back and take into account the instructions that you've heard.
You know, the Bible tells us not to be hearers only of the word of God, but to
be what?
A doer.
Doesn't the Bible say?
To be a doer of his word.
We need to recollect the things we've been taught before.
You know, it's not like you're going to hear, you know, you're going to have this
magic bullet that I'm going to be able to preach to you today that you've not
heard before.
The way you stand fast in these troubled times is to go back and remember, what did
I learn before?
What are the things that I've learned in the word of God?
What did I hear, you know, my pastor or my previous preachers say unto me?
And listen, we have great technology today.
We have YouTube.
And thank God that I can upload, you know, my sermons and other men that preach here,
their sermons onto YouTube.
And brethren, you may need to go back and listen to some of that preaching, if
you're shaking in mind.
You need to go back and read over the word of God.
Go back, pick up your Bible.
Read it once again if you've stopped reading your Bible.
We need to make sure that we're someone that is not shaken in mind.
Now please go to James chapter 1.
Go to James chapter 1 verse 8.
Once again, if you're doubtful in mind, if you're calmly minded, if you're shaken,
these are attributes that will cause you to not be mentally strong, okay?
How else can we not be mentally strong?
Here in James chapter 1 verse 8, again, a very common passage.
The Bible says here, a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.
We cannot be double-minded, okay, in this time.
A double-minded man, that means you don't know.
You can't make decisions.
You don't know what to do.
No, you need to learn to be someone that makes decisions, especially men.
Men who are lead homes.
You've got to learn not to be double-minded.
Your wife, your children are looking at you to be an example.
They're looking at you to be someone that is strong, and you cannot be strong if you're
double-minded because it says you'll be unstable in all your ways.
Now notice here, if you can go back two verses, the context of this teaching in
James chapter 1 verse 6.
The Bible says, let him ask in faith.
This is how we ought to pray to the Lord.
We ought to pray in faith, nothing wavering.
For here that wavering is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
When you go and you pray to God, when you go and ask for your daily bread, when
you ask for his safety, his provisions, his health that he can give you so you don't
get sick with this virus, you know, you need to go without doubts.
You can't go thinking, well, will God answer this or not?
Listen, God will answer it.
You know, God is someone that is looking to answer your prayers, you know, but he wants
you to come knowing full well that you can trust on him.
Look at verse number 7.
For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.
If you pray and you have doubts, you go, I don't know if God can answer this.
I don't know if God is listening.
I don't know God.
You know, are you really out there, are you really listening to me?
When you start thinking these things, the Bible says that you will not receive anything
of God.
Don't think you're going to receive anything of God if you're lacking the faith.
And so we cannot be someone that is double minded.
You might say, well, you know what, Pastor Kevin, right now I am double minded.
Right now I'm unsure.
Right now I can't lead my family.
You know, I'm not giving clear instructions here.
You know, I don't know what the options are.
I'm not taking a strong step forward.
Well, please go to James chapter 4, because this is the solution to the double mindedness.
It's found in James chapter 4, verse number 8.
James chapter 4 and verse number 8, the Bible reads, draw nigh to God, and he will
draw nigh to you.
Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
I'm double minded, okay.
Draw nigh to God.
Go and spend time with God.
Go and pray.
Go open your word.
You know, if it's distracting your house, go somewhere quiet.
Step out of the house.
Get somewhere quiet where you can just get a hold of God.
Draw nigh to him, and he will draw nigh to you.
It says there, cleanse your hands, ye sinners.
Hey, stop sinning.
That's what the Bible says.
Cleanse your hands from sinning.
Purify your hearts.
Don't be corrupted in your hearts.
Don't desire to sin and trespass against God.
Clean up your life.
Draw nigh to God.
That's going to help you from being double minded.
It's going to help you have a clear mind.
Be mentally strong.
Please go to Romans chapter 11.
Actually, I'll get you to go to Philippians chapter 2.
You can go to Philippians chapter 2, please.
And I will read to you from Romans 11 verse 20.
This also speaks about the state of our mind.
And it says in Romans chapter 11 verse 20,
Well because of unbelief they were broken off,
and thou standest by faith.
It says this,
Be not high minded, but fear.
What did it say?
Be not what?
High minded.
Be not high minded, but fear.
Think about that.
That's got to do with our mind.
Having a high mindedness.
What is this about?
Well, it also says in 1 Timothy 6.17,
Charge them that are rich in this world,
that they be not high minded,
nor trust in uncertain riches,
but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.
So it says here,
Those that are rich are easily high minded.
And we are to instruct the rich not to be high minded.
What does that mean to be high minded?
Have you ever thought what that means?
Well, I think the way we can understand high mindedness
is to understand the opposite of being high.
If you're high minded, what would be the opposite?
What do you guys reckon?
Low mindedness.
Look at Philippians chapter 2 and verse number 3.
It says,
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory,
but in lowliness of mind,
let each esteem other better than themselves.
So do we see the lowliness of mind here?
It says here,
But in lowliness of mind,
let each esteem other better than themselves.
So what does it mean to be lowly in mind?
It means when you think of others,
when you think about your brethren in the church,
when you think about your brothers and sisters,
that you esteem them better than yourself.
That you think, sister so-and-so and brother so-and-so,
that they're a better Christian than I am.
That they're more faithful to God than I am.
That's what it means to have a lowliness of mind,
to esteem others better than yourself.
Then if that's the case,
what would high mindedness be?
How would you look at others?
Matias, what do you reckon?
So if you're high minded,
you'll think that you're better than them.
Is that your attitude in church?
When you think about the families in the church,
when you think about the children in the church,
when you think about brother so-and-so
and sister so-and-so,
do you think,
hey, man, I'm such a better Christian than they are?
Hey, when it comes to this coronavirus,
I've responded better than sister so-and-so.
I've responded more faithfully than brother so-and-so.
If that's your attitude,
that's being high minded.
That's not being lowly in mind, all right?
And listen, that's not being mentally strong.
Being mentally strong is someone that is of low mind,
that esteems other, better than themselves.
Look at verse number one in the same chapter,
Philippians chapter two, verse one.
If there be therefore any consolation in Christ,
if any comfort of love,
if any fellowship of the Spirit,
if any bowels and mercies,
look at this,
fulfill ye my joy that ye be like-minded,
having the same love being of one accord,
of one mind.
Listen, this is a time for us to,
as a church, to be of one mind,
to love one another,
to be like-minded.
We can allow, you know,
if we are pointing our fingers to one another,
oh, look at him,
you know, he's so afraid of the virus or whatever,
that's going to tear apart the church.
That's not being of one mind, all right?
Look at verse number three.
Again, let nothing be done through strife or vainglory,
but in loneliness of mind,
let each esteem other, better than themselves.
Look not every man on his own things,
but every man also on the things of others.
Hey, think about others.
You might be struggling during this time.
I don't know, with what?
You know, your fears,
lack of resources,
I don't know.
But instead of thinking about yourself,
think about others.
Think about your brethren.
They also have struggles.
They also have concerns.
Prayerfully consider them.
Be lifting them up in prayer
and asking God that He would provide their needs.
That would be someone of mental strength,
if you can do that.
Look at verse number five.
Let this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus.
Christ Jesus.
Hey, if anyone is mentally strong,
is it not Jesus Christ?
Of course, the Bible tells us that He had this mind,
that He had this loneliness of mind
that He esteemed other, better than Himself.
Hey, He came serving others.
He came as a servant.
He came and He died on the cross for us.
He thought about others.
He thought about their need of salvation.
He thought about their need of the Savior
and He was ready to step in and be that Savior.
So listen, being lowly of mind is not weakness,
it's strength.
It's mental strength.
The same mental strength that Jesus Christ had.
Please go, actually no, you can stay in Philippians.
Just go to Philippians chapter one for me.
Philippians chapter one.
So we're looking at mental weakness, aren't we?
We're looking, these are attributes
that we do not wanna have.
Especially in this time
when we need to be mentally strong.
And in Hebrews chapter 12, verse two,
you guys stay in Philippians one.
I'll just read to you Hebrews 12, two.
It says here,
Notice those words.
Contradiction of sin is against himself.
Brethren, are you becoming weary?
Are you fainting in your mind?
Is this scare of this virus causing you
to feel this way?
Hey, maybe not the virus.
Maybe the response of our governments.
Hey, you know what?
The economy might collapse.
People will potentially lose their jobs
or have lost their jobs.
Is this causing you to faint in your mind
or be weary in your mind?
That's not being mentally strong.
And if you're feeling that way,
it's said there in Hebrews 12, two,
Listen, if you're weary
or if you're fainting in your mind,
you need to look at Jesus.
Okay, he's the author of your faith.
He can make you faithfully strong.
He can make you mentally strong,
but he's not just the author,
he's the finisher of our faith.
You're in Philippians.
Look at Philippians chapter one, verse six.
Philippians chapter one, verse six.
You know, can you see it out, brethren?
Are we gonna see out this coronavirus pandemic?
Are we going to see it through?
Can we remain faithful?
Yes, we can remain faithful,
as long as we remember that the strength
of this faithfulness,
that the strength of your mind must come
by you looking at Jesus.
Philippians one, verse six.
Being confident of this very thing,
that he which have begun a good work in you,
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Hey, what's the day of Christ?
We kind of saw it when we looked
at 2 Thessalonians chapter two.
The day of Christ is our gathering together unto him.
It's the day of the rapture.
It's the day that we're caught up into the clouds
to be with Jesus Christ.
It tells us here as a promise of God
that the good work that he began in us,
he's going to perform it until that day.
Hey, has the rapture already happened?
No, we're still waiting for that rapture, right?
We're still waiting for that resurrection.
That means Jesus Christ will remain here working you.
He wants to do a good work in you.
He wants you to be mentally strong, okay?
So we shouldn't be people that become weary
or faint in our minds.
You're in Philippians.
Look at Philippians chapter three, verse 14.
Philippians chapter three, verse 14.
The Bible says, I press toward the mark
for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Let us therefore, as many as be perfect,
be thus minded.
And if in anything you be otherwise minded,
God shall reveal even this unto you.
Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained,
let us walk by the same rule, look at this,
let us mind the same thing.
Let us mind the same thing.
Listen, we want to be mentally strong.
We've seen how we can be mentally weak, right?
We cannot be that way, brethren.
This is the time that if you're mentally weak,
you're going to really struggle.
And I don't want you to struggle.
I want you to come out of this pandemic mentally strong,
stronger than you've ever been, okay?
How do we do that?
How can we mind the same thing?
Well, let's look at verse number 14 again.
I press toward the mark for the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Brethren, and I've said this already in this sermon,
and this is the same.
This is your spiritual life.
This is what it means to be a Christian,
is that we need to look unto Jesus,
the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
You know, God has given you a high calling.
He wants you to be more like his son.
He wants you to be more like Jesus Christ.
And if we're more like Jesus, we have nothing to fear.
If we can be more mentally like Jesus,
we wouldn't have to have any kind of mental breakdowns
or have these fears in our minds.
No, we need to keep our minds on Christ,
but it is a high calling.
You know, how are you doing in your spiritual walk?
Are you reflecting Christ during this time?
You think if Christ was walking the earth today,
is he acting the way you're acting today?
Are you acting the way you think Christ would be acting?
I'm sure we all say no, because none of us are perfect.
Jesus Christ was perfect.
Jesus had no sin, and we need to be more like Christ,
meaning that you will never get to that point
where you're 100% like Christ,
but that doesn't mean that you stop
and say, well, I'm comfortable.
You know, I've matured so much.
I have this knowledge.
I've served God to this capacity,
and now I'm just gonna lay low and take it easy.
Oh, I'll stay at this part in my life.
No, you need to keep going for that high calling
that God has called us to be more like Christ.
This means that we need to be
on a constant journey of self-improvement.
It never ends.
You need to keep maturing, keep growing,
keep being more like Christ.
We need to mind these same things.
Please go to 2 Peter now, 2 Peter 3 for me,
and I'll read to you from Isaiah 26, verse three.
You go to 2 Peter, and I'll read to you
from Isaiah 26, verse three reads,
thou will keep him in perfect peace.
Brethren, do you want perfect peace right now?
We need it, don't we?
We need this perfect peace.
It says here, whose mind is stayed on thee,
because he trusteth in thee.
Trust ye in the Lord forever,
for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.
Hey, do we want to be mentally strong?
We need that everlasting strength, right?
We don't want to get to a point
where we're weak, we want to have that perfect peace.
Well, our mind needs to stay on the Lord.
It needs to stay on the Lord Jehovah.
We need to trust in Christ.
Brethren, are you trusting God right now?
Is your trust in God?
Or is your trust in hoarding
as much food and toilet paper as you can right now?
That's what the world is trusting in, okay?
No, we need to put our full faith and trust in God.
We need to have our minds stayed upon him.
You're in 2 Peter, look at verse number three.
Sorry, chapter three.
2 Peter chapter three in verse number one.
How else can we be mentally strong?
It says here, this second epistle, beloved,
I now write unto you,
in both which I stir up your pure minds
by way of remembrance.
How can we be mentally strong?
We need to have pure minds.
Minds that are not seeking to commit sin.
But look at verse number two.
Listen, we need to have pure minds.
Again, how do we stay that way?
We need to be mindful of the words of the prophets,
mindful of the commandments of the apostles
and of the Lord and Savior, mindful of this book.
Brethren, you might be restricted
from going to certain places,
restricted from going to work.
Brother Michael was telling me that his gym has shut down.
There are a lot of places being shut down,
a lot of public places where people cannot go.
This means people are spending more time at home
and if you're more time at home,
this is the book you pick up then.
You don't spend more time on YouTube.
You don't spend more time listening to the media.
Spend more time in this book, the words.
This is where you get the purity of your mind,
pure minds coming from the word of God.
Look at verse number three.
Listen, we're called to have pure minds
but the scoffers, false prophets, people like this,
they have minds that are lustful.
They have lustful hearts.
Brethren, we need to keep our minds pure.
Don't listen to the scoffers.
Listen to the word of God.
Now, if you can, please go to Titus chapter three.
Titus chapter three.
Don't forget that Titus is a bishop, he's a pastor
and the apostle Paul is giving instructions to the pastor
to pastor Titus here.
And you know, we're struggling a little bit with the church.
You know, the government, as you know, on Sunday night
passed further restrictions, especially on churches
and other things like clubs and whatever.
But when it comes to the church,
there's been these restrictions passed
and I find that a lot of Christians, a lot of pastors
are not really sure what to do.
You know, do we keep church open?
You know, do we live stream?
And look, every pastor has to make a decision
for their own church.
You know, I'm gonna keep the doors open of church
as much as I can.
You know, we're going from free services
to sick services so we can stick within the guidelines
that the government tells us.
But the question might be,
well, should we really be listening to the government?
You know, should we be allowing them to dictate to us
as a church what we should do?
And I've, you know, in different discussions that we've had,
you know, one thing we need to understand,
we do understand that the government has been given
the power from God to quarantine, you know,
and shut people in for the case of viruses.
You know, people have said to me,
yeah, but you know, that's the case of the sick,
not the case of the healthy.
And I can understand that, I fully understand.
The point I'm trying to make is they have that power.
They have been given that power by God.
So they're accountable to God with how they use that power.
And are they abusing their power?
Of course they are.
Are they doing things biblically?
Of course they aren't, okay?
But they've been given that power.
I want you to think about the death penalty,
for example.
Has the government been given the authority
to conduct the death penalty?
Absolutely.
Now listen, if our government,
and of course our government doesn't conduct
that death penalty anymore,
but if they did, for the things
that were criminal offences in the Bible,
would you support that?
I'm sure you would.
But you know what?
When our governments or the Western countries
put someone to death,
they're not doing it biblically.
They're abusing their power
because biblically, the person that was going
to be put to death was put to death by their accusers.
But those that were witnessing against them,
they would be the first ones to throw a stone.
And they were put to death by stoning.
And it was done publicly, okay?
In front of the masses, they were stoned,
and the accusers were the first ones
to throw those stones, okay?
That's how God outlined it in the Bible.
But when our governments have been doing
the death penalty, have they been doing it biblically?
No.
Have they been abusing their power?
Yes, okay?
But hey, we would be happy
if they were carrying out some type of death penalty
on these crimes, okay?
Even though they're not doing things
in accordance with the Bible, once again,
they have that power to do such things.
And so as the pastor of this church,
when you talk about the power that they have
in terms of disease and shutting people up,
I will comply with that at this point in time.
You know, I don't have all the information.
You know, I have to make certain decisions
for this church, and I need to comply
to the government to some extent
for the power and authority that they do hold.
Now you guys are in Titus chapter three.
Look at verse number one.
Titus chapter three and verse number one.
The Bible says, put them in mind.
Again, this is Paul writing to the pastor, pastor Titus,
and he's saying, look, this is what you need
to teach your church.
Put them in mind to be subject
to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates,
to be ready to every good work, to speak evil of no man,
to be no brawlers, but gentle,
showing all meekness unto all men.
So listen, brethren, whether you agree with me or not,
you know, with how, you know,
the decisions I'm making about church,
you need to understand that I'm striving to be gentle,
I'm striving to be meek, I'm striving to instruct you
to be in obedience to the government
when it comes to this power that God has given them.
Now again, are they going to abuse it?
Yes.
Are they abusing it now?
They absolutely are.
And you know, obviously as things develop,
you know, and things are developing very quickly,
it's difficult to make strong decisions,
but you know, we'll see how we go.
You know, we need to obey God rather than man,
but let's see the developments
that take place during this time.
But for now, we need to be gentle, meek,
in obedience to these magistrates, to these powers,
these principalities and powers that God has put over us.
Okay?
Now please go to 2 Corinthians chapter seven,
2 Corinthians chapter seven and verse number six.
And again, when it comes to the decisions
that I'm making as your pastor
and other church pastors, you know,
other good churches, other, you know,
good pastors, the decisions they're making,
I want you to keep this in mind
in 2 Corinthians chapter seven verse six.
Nevertheless, God that comforts of those
that are cast down comforted us by the coming of Titus,
and not by his coming only,
but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you
when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning.
Look at this.
Notice the next words.
Your fervent mind toward me, so that I rejoiced the more.
Listen, the Corinthian church had a fervent mind
toward the apostle Paul, okay?
You know, they had a fervent mind
toward these religious leaders.
And when it comes to this church, you know,
I am the religious leader that's been put in place.
You know, I hold the office of the bishop,
I am your pastor, and I'm asking you
to give me the benefit of doubt
with the decisions I'm making to be in compliance
with what the government is asking us to do
in this situation.
I'm asking you to have a fervent mind toward me, okay?
The Corinthian church, they were messed up,
but they were able to have a fervent mind toward Paul.
I'm asking you to have a fervent mind toward me.
What does it mean to be fervent?
It means to have zeal, to be zealous.
I want you to be zealous toward me.
I want you to trust me that I'm doing the best,
I'm making the best decisions I can think of
with the resources that we have,
with the mandates that have been passed down
by the government, with the concerns of this virus.
You know, I'm trying to, you know,
and I'm thinking about you guys as well.
I'm thinking about the church on the Sunshine Coast.
I'm thinking about the church down in Sydney.
I'm thinking about all these things
when I come to the decisions that I make.
And so look, like I said, I'm making decisions
about this virus and the restrictions
that have been put in place for churches.
But also, not just this,
I want you to be fervent minded.
When things go back to normal, you know,
I want you to be fervent minded about the things I preach.
Okay, the things I preach.
Many times I'm going to preach things that are unpopular.
Many times I'm going to preach things
that are gonna, you know,
I'm gonna be stepping on your toes.
You're not gonna like things that I preach all the time.
But I want you to be fervently minded.
I want you to know that I'm doing it for your best.
Okay?
And the Bible says there,
look at 2 Corinthians chapter seven.
You guys are in 2 Corinthians.
Look at chapter seven, verse number eight.
I didn't finish the passage there.
It says here, why was he talking about
how they were fervently minded toward Paul?
Because in verse number eight he says,
for though I made you sorry with a letter,
I do not repent.
And brethren, if I make you sorry,
if I bring sorrow to you for something that I preach,
if it's coming from the word of God,
I don't repent.
I don't change my mind about what I'm preaching.
And then it says here, though I did repent,
for I perceive that the same epistle have made you sorry,
though it were, but for a season.
So he's saying, look, sorry, I'm not sorry.
Okay?
I repent, but I don't repent.
Like, I understand.
You know, Paul is saying, look,
I understand that some of the things I wrote
in the epistle has made you upset.
You know, has stepped on your toes, has brought sorrow.
But he says, but I don't repent.
Because Paul was teaching the truth of God's word.
And it is my responsibility as your pastor
to preach the truth of God's word.
And brethren, if I step on your toes,
if I upset you with something that I say,
please be fervently minded toward me
because I'm doing it for your good.
I'm doing it to be right with God.
We need to be people that are mentally strong,
mentally strong, okay?
And when your past is making decisions that you don't like,
be fervently minded toward your pastor, okay?
That will help you to be mentally strong.
All right.
I'm going to end.
You don't need to turn there.
I'm just going to end in a passage in Acts chapter 20.
The last way that we can be mentally strong.
And I'll just read this passage to you.
Acts chapter 20, verse 17.
It says, and from Miletus he sent to Ephesus
and called the elders of the church.
And when they were come to him, he said unto them,
ye know from the first day that I came to Asia,
after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,
serving the Lord with all humility of mind.
Brethren, if we want to be mentally strong,
when we serve God, we need to do it
with all humility of mind.
It says here, and with many tears and temptations
which befell me by the lain in weight of the Jews,
and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you,
but have showed you and have taught you publicly
and from house to house.
Brethren, when I come and preach,
and again, if I upset you,
if I say something you disagree with,
you're saying, is he preaching that about me?
Probably not.
Hey, but if it's about you, take it on board, all right?
But I do so with all humility of mind.
I do so because I want it to be profitable unto you.
So brethren, you know, in conclusion,
how are you doing?
How are you mentally?
Are you mentally weak?
Are you wavering?
Are you doubtful?
You know, are you fainting in mind during this time?
And if you are, remember, how can you be mentally strong?
You need to have the mind of Christ.
You know, you need to set your mind upon Christ.
You need to strive to be more like him.
You need to be, you know, have the one mind.
You need to be lowly of mind
and esteem others better than yourselves.
Brethren, I hope this sermon is a help to you.
You know, we need to be mentally strong.
You know, if you're struggling in this area,
I don't mind, this is a really difficult time.
I don't mind if you want to reach out to me
and ask for prayers.
You know, if there's something that I can do,
if you have some questions about the Bible,
please, you know, this is a time,
this is a difficult time.
You know, I'd be honored to hear from you
if you have any concerns about this point in time.
And brethren, please keep each other in mind.
Be considerate about one another
because we're all at different places
in our spiritual life, in our spiritual walk,
and we can all be reacting in different ways.
But please keep in mind that everyone's trying
to process the information that's coming their way,
trying to respond to that in their own way.
And you know, you be mindful about yourself,
be mindful about your family.
All right, let's pray.