Spiritual Warfare – The Transforming Power of the Gospel: Personality, Character and Discipleship – part 9

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Key points from previous weeks:

  • Everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher (Luke 6:40)
  • It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher (Matt. 10:24-25)
  • It is God’s plan and goal for our lives:
    • For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8: 29.
  • The ultimate goal, the only goal, a long-term goal
  • The Fruit of the Spirit is the expression of Discipleship – you reap what you sow (in your own life and in the lives of others)
  • God has ‘sown’ His DNA for character in us in the new birth – becoming like Jesus! Are we reproducing the family likeness? 1 Pet. 1:23; 2:2

We’ve been looking at how our character is to be transformed by the Gospel and seen how, although our personality is at the centre of that (and may be relatively fixed by the time we reach adulthood – may need healing though), the process of becoming like Jesus is to be at work in other areas of our character.

We started with the area of “what do we value?” and “what do we believe about what we value?” as that is the primary motivation of our behaviour. We will act according to what we value most. This can be temporary – we value the bar of chocolate because we are hungry, and so buy it believing that it will satisfy our hunger (an erroneous belief at best!), and that overrides the value that we place on anything else we could buy with that money at that time. But our innermost values are what drives the overall direction of our lives – success, security (financial or emotional), power, the approval of others, keeping our heads down for a quiet life.

What do we value, and why?

Discuss what makes a thing (or us) valuable?

Intrinsic or extrinsic? Agreed system of values, such as money or gold (Rev. 22 – pave the streets with it!). Does anything material actually have intrinsic value? (Only the blood of Christ? 1 Pet. 1:18-19) Mention of the death of His saints Psa. 116:15 and Israel Isa. 45:4

Does God love us because we are valuable, or are we valuable because God loves us? Because God loves us! John 3:16 God so loved the world; Eph. 5:25 Christ loved the Ekklesia; Gal. 2:20 The Son of God … loved me and gave Himself for me

We should value what God/Jesus values:

  • Treasures in heaven
    Jesus points this out in Matt. 6:19-34 – treasures in heaven, trusting your heavenly Father to supply your needs – if we have the right priority (v. 33!).
  • Right priorities Matt. 6:33 Paul exemplifies it in Phil. 3:7-11 and illustrates the dangers of having wrong priorities in Demas (2 Tim. 4:10).
  • The surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord Phil. 3:7-11
  • Knowing God Psa. 27:4

Jesus’ Kingdom values shape our attitudes

The Gospel should transform our values and beliefs. So we’ve been learning to value the things that Jesus valued, exemplified in the Beatitudes Matt. 5:3-12. Returning to this after our 2 session excursus into Persecution, we’ve seen that Jesus values:

  1. Humility
  2. Sorrow for sin
  3. Not self seeking
  4. Seeking God’s glory and purposes
  5. Kindness and generosity
  6. Purity in heart, Integrity, devotedness
  7. Peace-makers, Reconcilers
  8. Persecution – not suffering for sin, but suffering for Him, sharing in His sufferings

As our values and beliefs (not just what we believe, but what we act out in our lives!) are transformed by the values of the Lord Jesus, our character is changed more into His likeness. More than this, what we value and believe affects how we hear or read the Bible and Biblical teaching. Our responses and our choices are conditioned by our values and priorities.

Jersus wearns His disciples “Take care HOW you hear” Luke 8:18 (helpfully rendered in The Passion Translation: “So pay careful attention to your hearts as you hear my teaching, for to those who have open hearts, even more revelation will be given to them until it overflows. And for those who do not listen with open hearts, what little light they imagine to have will be taken away.”)

In this context, I want us to think about what we think about, because, “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”!

What we think about God

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. … For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God.” ― A.W. Tozer

“The Knowledge of the Holy” Ch. 1 A. W. Tozer
  • Rooted in Him – made in His image and re-created in the image of His Son. Do we make God in our image? “God made man in His image; and man has returned the favour” Voltaire
  • What we think about God is fundamental! How do we see Him? The Psalmists seem to have had a good grasp on who God is: Creator (Psa. 8), Revelator (Psa. 19), Keeper (Psa. 121), Searcher (Psa. 139)
  • Rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him (Heb. 11:6) yet He is unknowable by human intellect or emotion! But revealed through the Spirit (1 Cor. 2:6-11)
  • Supremely, Eternal Redeemer – knowing His character, especially as revealed in Christ – John 1:1-5; 14, 16-19. Col. 1:15-20; Heb. 1:1-3

What we think about ourselves

At one level, we shouldn’t think about ourselves (Phil. 2:2-3; Rom. 12:3) but we do anyway! We need to think right thoughts – God’s thoughts! What God thinks about us is Fundamental! Knowing who you are IN CHRIST is absolutely vital. Knowing what HE HAS DONE is also vital.

Prov. 23:7 As a man thinketh in his heart so is he Pro 4:23 Keep thy heart more than anything that is guarded; for out of it are the issues of life.

  • Not just what we will be, but who we are now! Absolutely key. New identity in Christ 2 Cor. 5:17 –if anyone is in Christ, a new creation !
  • We are complete in Christ – filled up to our capacity with the fullness of God seen in Christ John 1:14, 16 we looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth… Out of His fullness, we have all received grace on top of grace. Eph, 3:19; 1:23
  • We are sons of God 1 John 3:1-2; John 1:12-13; Rom. 8:15-17; Gal. 5-7 – we go off the rails when we forget who we are! (Prince Harry?)
  • Now Saints by calling not sinners (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:2,9; 61 times in NT)
  • Family Eph. 2:19; 3:14-15
  • Community 1 Pet. 2:9-10 – Peter deals with who we are before going on to deal with what we ought to be. (1 Pet. 2:1-12)

Jesus was certain in His identity (John 13:1-2) and thus was free to serve – but minded to give it all up, pouring out His life, becoming a man, a slave, a sacrifice! (Phil. 2:5) The One who had been served for all eternity but the hosts of heaven, was minded to serve.

“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am”

John Newton
Discipleship, Spiritual Warfare, The Renewed Mind, The Weapons of our Warfare