Message: If Your Is Single, Your Whole
Body Will Be Full Of Light.
Grounding Scripture(s): Matthew 6: 19-34
“It concerns thee to choose wisely, for
thou art choosing for thyself, and shalt have as thou choosest. If we know and
consider ourselves what we, what we are made for, how large our capacities are,
and how long our continuance, and that our souls are ourselves, we shall see it
is foolish thing to lay up our treasures on earth”- Matthew Henry.
Introduction
God wants you to understand what you are
made for, how large extend of your capacity, how long you are made and that you
better more on your soul. “My
people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected
knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing
thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children”, Hosea
4:6 KJV. The “eye” shall be the focus of
this message.
What
is the Message?
1. The Singleness of the eye
2. An Evil Eye
3. The Singleness of the Eye Will Keep
Focus on God in Knowing (Knowledge of Truth) and Doing (Duty).
4. An Evil Eye Leads to Darkness and
Delusion, both in Teaching and Doing (Duty).
“The truths of God
need no garnishing by human skill or eloquence, but look best in the words
which the Holy Ghost teaches. The Spirit of God knows much better how to speak
of the things of God than the best critics, orators, or philosophers.
Comparing spiritual things with spiritual--one part of revelation with
another, the revelation of the gospel with that of the Jews, the discoveries of
the New Testament with the types and prophecies of the Old. The comparing of
matters of revelation with matters of science, things supernatural with things
natural and common, is going by a wrong measure. Spiritual things, when brought
together, will help to illustrate one another; but, if the principles of human
art and science are to be made a test of revelation, we shall certainly judge
amiss concerning it, and the things contained in it. ” Matthew Henry
Introduction
To
tap into the mind of Christ means to operate in what He has deposited in you by
the presence of His Spirit, to open up His deposit in you or reach out into it
for the purpose of using it or drawing ‘meaning from it (His mind). It is an
awesome and divine livelihood that we have to tap into, and not just a resource
be reserved.
Why you ought to know by the revelation of
the Scripture that you have the mind of Christ and so believe what the
Scripture says as discovered in 2
Peter 1:21 which says: “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of
man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”.
This is the reason why we are sure that we have the mind of Christ. This is one
of the pillars on which our affirmation “Christ through me” immovably stands.
1.The Spirit searches the things of God. Vs.
10
One of things that the Spirit knows as God
knows is that, God has given you the mind of Christ.
2. The Spirit is much God in His testimony
to this revelation and truth as much as the mind of man in its testimonies is
as much as the man himself. Vs. 11 (Jeremiah 29:11For I know the
plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil,
to give you a future and a hope.) Scripture says; “Christ
in you the hope of glory.” The mind of Christ in man will bring him to glory.
This is what I am encouraging to tap into. This is what God thinks of you.
3. You can only tap into this livelihood
by the illumination and power of the Spirit as you become willing and obedient
to Him. You cannot tap into it by the wise men and rulers of this world. Vs.
12; (vs. 6, 8).
4. It is the truth in simple and direct
language: it is imparted in words as taught by the Holy Spirit and not by men.
Vs. 13-15.
It is up to you to tap into it, because it
is in you. Vs. 16; (2 Corinthians
4:7-12But we have this treasure
in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to
us.8 We are afflicted in
every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;9 persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed;10
always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may
also be manifested in our bodies.11
For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that
the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.12 So death is at work in us, but
life in you.)
Conclusion
God has deposited
the mind of Christ in us for His own glory. This the Holy Spirit has made known
to us through Scripture. It is a livelihood of God that we have to tap into and
make of as this manifest the surpassing wisdom, power of God to His own
glory.The question is; how do we tap
into the mind of Christ, the livelihood of God? This also we shall delve into
as the LORD would allow us by His grace.
“The truths of God
need no garnishing by human skill or eloquence, but look best in the words
which the Holy Ghost teaches. The Spirit of God knows much better how to speak
of the things of God than the best critics, orators, or philosophers.
Comparing spiritual things with spiritual--one part of revelation with
another, the revelation of the gospel with that of the Jews, the discoveries of
the New Testament with the types and prophecies of the Old. The comparing of
matters of revelation with matters of science, things supernatural with things
natural and common, is going by a wrong measure. Spiritual things, when brought
together, will help to illustrate one another; but, if the principles of human
art and science are to be made a test of revelation, we shall certainly judge
amiss concerning it, and the things contained in it. ” Matthew Henry
Introduction
To
tap into the mind of Christ means to operate in what He has deposited in you by
the presence of His Spirit, to open up His deposit in you or reach out into it
for the purpose of using it or drawing ‘meaning from it (His mind). It is an
awesome and divine livelihood that we have to tap into, and not just a resource
be reserved.
Why you ought to know by the revelation of
the Scripture that you have the mind of Christ and so believe what the
Scripture says as discovered in 2
Peter 1:21 which says: “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of
man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”.
This is the reason why we are sure that we have the mind of Christ. This is one
of the pillars on which our affirmation “Christ through me” immovably stands.
1.The Spirit searches the things of God. Vs.
10
One of things that the Spirit knows as God
knows is that, God has given you the mind of Christ.
2. The Spirit is much God in His testimony
to this revelation and truth as much as the mind of man in its testimonies is
as much as the man himself. Vs. 11 (Jeremiah 29:11For I know the
plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil,
to give you a future and a hope.) Scripture says; “Christ
in you the hope of glory.” The mind of Christ in man will bring him to glory.
This is what I am encouraging to tap into. This is what God thinks of you.
3. You can only tap into this livelihood
by the illumination and power of the Spirit as you become willing and obedient
to Him. You cannot tap into it by the wise men and rulers of this world. Vs.
12; (vs. 6, 8).
4. It is the truth in simple and direct
language: it is imparted in words as taught by the Holy Spirit and not by men.
Vs. 13-15.
It is up to you to tap into it, because it
is in you. Vs. 16; (2 Corinthians
4:7-12But we have this treasure
in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to
us.8 We are afflicted in
every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;9 persecuted, but not forsaken;
struck down, but not destroyed;10
always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may
also be manifested in our bodies.11
For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that
the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.12 So death is at work in us, but
life in you.)
Conclusion
God has deposited
the mind of Christ in us for His own glory. This the Holy Spirit has made known
to us through Scripture. It is a livelihood of God that we have to tap into and
make of as this manifest the surpassing wisdom, power of God to His own
glory.The question is; how do we tap
into the mind of Christ, the livelihood of God? This also we shall delve into
as the LORD would allow us by His grace.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5New International Version (NIV) 1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
1. The Word of God is not carried in the wisdom of men: vs. 1 2. Christ is the measure of all things: vs. 2 3. The Word of God is the demonstration of the Spirit and of power: vs. 3-4 4. It is the will of God that our faith rest in His power: vs. 5
Colossians 3:11 New International Version (NIV)
11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.