Sermon Cloud

Soma Austin Community Church
Sermon: Communities of Renewal: Renewed Hearts and Minds
April 19, 2009

Being a Christian implies there is a different manner/pattern of life for Christians. But do the stats bear that out?

Darkened vs Enlightened: Pluralism. Chocolate vs vanilla? God isn't ice cream!

Have you ever intentionally refused to hear or believe something? Have you ever resisted something just because you didn't want to hear it and didn't want to be responsible for it?

Hearts hardened: Rom 1 says...

futility of their minds... darkened. Both in antiquity and today, people who reject the knowledge of God think of themselves as “enlightened” (cf. Heb. 10:32). Their ignorance here is not lack of general education; some are brilliant in their own way, but such brilliance is all wasted and futile in the end when combined with hardness of heart toward the truth of the gospel in Christ

The “renewal” or “transformation” of the mind (Rom. 12:2) is a process in which believers begin to think in new and right ways as they meditate on the truths of God's Word.

Ephesians 1:15-23
15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love  toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Colossians 3:9-10
Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Romans 12:2
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Renewed by the spirit. Mind resolved
God's conviction is like poking. Conviction vs guilt/shame.

A New Heart

Regenerate church membership, being given a new heart. My life as a missionary on the earth lived after the pattern of Jesus. New identity in Christ. New gifts. New purpose. New power to live a life after Jesus. New desires, not you have to do things but you get to do things. Living more fully to your strongest desires. The goal is not to stop sinning but to start worshiping. The Spirit is our only hope. Yes their are temptations but if your strongest desire is for the things of Jesus, then you've been regenerated. The Holy Spirit longs to anoint you to exalt Jesus.