South Charleston Christian Center

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• South Charleston Christian Center
• January 11, 2009
• Sermon A Mindset for this Moment

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Opening Scripture Psalm 371-40

• Fret not thyself because of evildoers neither be
  thou envious against the workers of iniquity.
  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
  and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord,
  and do good so shalt thou dwell in the land, and
  verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also
  in the Lord and He shall give thee the desires
  of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord,
  trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass.
  

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And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the
light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in
the Lord, and wait patiently for Him fret not
thyself because of him who prospereth in his way,
because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to
pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath fret
not thyself in any wise to do evil. For
evildoers shall be cut off but those that wait
upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For
yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be
yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place,
and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit
the earth and shall delight themselves in the
abundance of peace. The wicked plotteth against
the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
The Lord shall laugh at him for he seeth that
his day is coming. The wicked have drawn out the
sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the
poor and needy,
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and to slay such as be of upright conversation.
Their sword shall enter their own heart, and
their bows shall be broken. A little that a
righteous man hath is better than the riches of
many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be
broken but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.
The Lord knoweth the days of the upright and
their inheritance shall be forever. They shall
not be ashamed in the evil time and in the days
of famine they shall be satisfied. But the
wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord
shall be as the fat of lambs they shall
consume into smoke shall they consume away. The
wicked borroweth, and payeth not again but the
righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth. For such as
be blessed of him shall inherit the earth and
they that be cursed of him shall be cutoff. The
steps of a good man
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are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in
his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly
cast down for the Lord upholdeth him with His
hand. I have been young, and now am old yet
have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his
seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and
lendeth and his seed is blessed. Depart from
evil, and do good and dwell for evermore. For
the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his
saints they are preserved for ever but the
seed of the wicked shall be cut off. The
righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell
therein forever. The mouth of the righteous
speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of
judgment. The law of his God is in his heart
none of his steps shall slide. The wicked
watcheth the righteous and seeketh to slay him.
The Lord will not leave him in his hand nor
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condemn him when he is judged. Wait on the
Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee
to inherit the land when the wicked are cut
off, thou shalt see it. I have seen the wicked
in great power, and spreading himself like a
green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he
was not yea, I sought him, but he could not be
found. Mark the perfect man, and behold the
upright for the end of that man is peace. But
the transgressors shall be destroyed together
the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the
salvation of the righteous is of the Lord He is
their strength in the time of trouble. And the
Lord shall help them, and deliver them He shall
deliver them from the wicked, and save them,
because they trust in Him. Psalm 371-40
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The Moment in which we are living
A moment of disappointment present, pending
loss jobs, sickness, loved ones, relationships,
etc.
A moment of iniquity Matt. 2412 Gen. 47
.sin is crouching at your door its desire is
to possess you
A moment of falling away II Thess. 23 Luke
188 Matt. 25 (virgins) II Peter 21-3
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But there were false prophets also among the
people, even as there shall be false teachers
among you, who privily shall bring in damnable
heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them,
and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And
many shall follow their pernicious ways by
reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil
spoken of. And through covetousness shall they
with feigned words make merchandise of you whose
judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and
their damnation slumbereth not. II Peter 21-3
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A moment in which things are upside down The
wicked seem to flourish while the righteous seem
to suffer. Vs. 1 Fret not thyself because of
evildoers, neither be thou envious against the
workers of iniquity..
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Danger of a wrong mindset

• Example of those with a wrong mindset
• A. Prodigal Son, Luke 1517-18 .and when he
  came to himself he saidI will arise and go to
  my father, and will say unto him, father, I have
  sinned against heaven and before thee
• B. Demoniac of Gaderra, Luke 835 Then they
  went out to see what was done and came to Jesus
  and found the man, out of whom the devils were
  departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed,
  and in his right mind and they were afraid..

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• The Scriptures encourage us to have our minds
  in tune with the Word and Will of God
• A. Rom. 122 Conform no longer to the pattern of
  this world, but be ye transformed in the renewing
  of your mind, that you may prove that good,
  acceptable, and perfect will of God.
• B. I Cor. 26 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them
  that are perfect yet not the wisdom of this
  world, nor of the princes of this world, that is
  coming to nothing
• C. I Cor. 214 But the natural man receiveth not
  the things of the Spirit of God for they are
  foolishness unto him neither can he know them,
  because they are spiritually discerned.

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I. There is a marked difference between the life
of the believer and unbeliever

• A. Jesus affirms this truth
• 1. John 1519 If ye were of the world, the world
  would love his own but because ye are not of the
  world, but I have chosen you out of the world,
  therefore the world hateth you..
• 2. John 1714 I have given them Thy Word and
  the world hath hated them, because they are not
  of the world, even as I am not of the world

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• What drives the man of this world is very
  different from what drives the man of God.
• Different motivations different reasons for
  living different goals different hopes his
  worldview antithesis of our worldview
• We live in the light of eternity, the man of this
  world gives eternity no thought at all.

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• That which separates us, beyond salvation, is our
  mindset.
• 1. His thinking differs greatly from ours.
• 2. If we develop the mindset of the men of this
  world, we will begin to live as the men of this
  world.
• 3. Impossible to live as a victorious believer
  while clinging to the mindset of this world.
• 4. We are in desperate need of the Lord
  correcting our thinking.

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II. Seven Words of Emphasis

• A. Vs. 1 Fret not thyself because of
  evildoers.
• 1. Three times warned against being jealous of
  the men of this world.
• 2. Avoid looking longingly at the world, wanting
  their reward, wanting to live like them.
• 3. Key temptation This worlds way is easier.
  Example of Christs temptation, Matt. 4
• 4. We must learn from the discipline of Christ,
  and hear the teaching of David.
• 5. The reward of the righteous greatly differs
  from the wicked.

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• Vs. 3 ..trust in the Lord and do good..
  
• 1. Our Father cares for even the creatures and
  plants of the field. Matt. 625-30 Therefore I
  say unto you, take no thought for you life, what
  ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink nor yet for
  your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life
  more than meat, and the body than raiment?
  Behold the fowls of the air for they sow not,
  neither do t hey reap, nor gather into barns yet
  your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not
  much better than they? Which of you by taking
  thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And
  why take ye thought for raiment?

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Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow
they toil not, neither do they spin and yet I
say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore if
God so clothe the grass of the field, which today
is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He
not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

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• David writes this as an elderly man, comes to the
  conclusion that he has never seen God fail the
  righteous.
• Vs. 25 I have been young, and now I am old
  yet have I never seen the righteous forsaken, nor
  his seed begging bread.

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• Vs. 4 .delight thyself also in the Lord and He
  shall give thee the desires of thine heart..
• 1. What brings us delight?
• 2. Too often our delight is in things, things
  that ultimately bring no pleasure.
• 3. Desperately need once again the joy of our
  salvation.
• 4. When we delight in Christ, His desires
  become our desires.

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• Vs. 5 commit thy way unto the Lord..and He
  shall bring it to pass
• 1. We must commit those things in our life both
  temporal and eternal.
• 2. Our course is set for an eternity spent with
  Christ, with our loved ones, with all of the
  saints of God. I Peter 14 .an inheritance,
  incorruptible and undefiled, that fades not away,
  reserved in heaven for you
• a. Not a demon in Hell that can alter our
  course!

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• Vs. 7 .rest in the Lord..
• 1. Who is worn out? Worn out with worry, fear,
  obligations, duties, all of the stuff? When is
  the last time that we found rest?
• 2. David spoke of the Shepherd of our souls in
  Psalm 232-3 He maketh me to lie down in green
  pastures..He restoreth my soul..
• 3. One of the greatest acts of faith is to say,
  I place my entire trust in the Lord..I will
  rest in Him and no longer seek my way.

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• Vs. 8 .cease from anger and forsake wrath.
• 1. This is a day of anger and pain in which men
  injure one another.
• 2. Even in a day of anger and pain such as
  this, the mindset of the believer is to cease
  from anger, to forsake his wrath.

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• Vs. 9 wait upon the Lord
• 1. It may not be obvious that anything has
  changed once we have begun walking in this
  mindset of the Lord.
• 2. This is still an hour of loss, still an hour
  of falling away. The world may continue as it
  always has, but for us it will be different.
• 3. In patience we wait, knowing that all of
  this facade of this world is about to pass away.
  Matt. 2433 So ye in like manner, when ye shall
  see these things come to pass, know that it is
  nigh, even at the very doors

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III. Closing Thoughts

• A. We must be convinced that this is the right
  way, this is the right course.
• 1. It is impossible to journey this way in the
  mindset of this world, and find satisfaction for
  ones soul.
• B. One of the greatest lies of the enemy is
  this Who Ive been is who Ill always be.

1. Today is the day in which I allow the
Lord to change my mind, my way of thinking
concerning this life and my walk!