Introduction

A. WHY were we created and then recreated in the name of Christ, into a relationship with God, Elohim?

B. What’s our purpose?

C. How do we fulfil this, especially when we are messed up and our lives are trapped by our past?

If we can figure this out, then it will help us in our walk and relationship with God and others.

God made us to:

1. Reflect / display His glory (His qualities) and to make Him known with our words and actions, Genesis 1:26.

2. Bring joy and pleasure to God, Psalm 100:2 / Psalm 149:4 / Philippians 4:4 / Revelation 4:11.

3. Bring glory and honour to God, Isaiah 43:7.

4. Have a close parental relationship with God and rely on Him to be our provider, instructor, sustainer, and Protector, 1 John 1 / Matthew 6. God providing guidance, direction, discipline, and law for us.

5. Rely on him for everything and faithfully do His will. Fully, trusting and obeying Him within the choice he gives us, Revelation 4:11 / Hebrews 11:1-2 / Hebrews 11:6.

6. Communicate with God and mankind using all the abilities he’s given us, Genesis 2:18-25.

7. Represent Him on earth.

8. Have dominion and care for the earth – the plants, animals, birds, and land, Genesis 1:28-29.

9. Experience full joy and pleasures in God’s presence forever, Psalm 16:11.

10. Interact with each other using all He has given us.

In recreating us in Christ Jesus, we are reminded again of this:

“We are God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

As saved disciples of Christ (Christians), we are being watched by everyone in the physical and spiritual realm to see how successful we are, Ephesians 3:10 / Job 1:6-9 / Job 2:2-5. Therefore, achieving our role results in praise, glory, and honour to God and so fulfils our purpose. To achieve this, God, Elohim, gave mankind choice, blessings, and commands.

Genesis 1:26-27, tells us we were personally made (handcrafted) in His image (as three-part beings with souls that never stop existing, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, and in His likeness (like Him in heart, mind & action).

Genesis 1:28-29, tells us that God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on it.’

Genesis 2:15-17, tells us “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

God gave each of us (male and female) the capacity to rule over creation, to reason / think, to be creative, to choose to be obedient, and to have a moral conscience. The ability and basis to achieve all these is summed up in the greatest command:

1. Read Luke 10:25-28.

LOVE – (AGAPE, 1 Corinthians 13)
the LORD – (YHVH) I AM, The Self-existing One
your – personal close relationship
GOD – (Elohim) Godhead, Creator, Genesis 1:1.
with – (HOW)
ALL, – complete, whole
your – personal
Heart – (seat of emotion), Soul (you in your physical body), Mind (decision making) and Strength (ability).

Note the difference between the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 6:1-5, heart soul, strength, and New Testament (Matthew 22:37, heart, soul, mind, Mark 12:30 and Luke 10:27, heart, soul, strength, and mind. In the Old Testament, the heart and mind were one and the same. They were linked together. LOVE your Neighbour as Yourself. In the original Greek, love is not stated. It’s linked to the first command with ‘and’. So, the love here is agape.

a. We must be able to love ourselves first before we can love anyone else.

b. If I hate myself or feel suicidal / depressed / worthless/ angry with anyone, then I would really struggle to show AGAPE love.

“(Agape) Love is patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast. It is not proud or rude or self-seeking. It is not easily angered and keeps no record of wrongs. It does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (Agape) ALWAYS protects, trusts, hopes, always perseveres. (Agape) never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Now replace “love” with your name. How does it feel?

The teacher of the law replied to Jesus’ question about the greatest command and replied as follows.

“To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” Mark 12:33

For us that will be, e.g. Worship and study attendance, ticked boxes. Yes, even my enemy. Jesus teaches us the following in Matthew.

“But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:44-48

How can I do this? How can I show agape when I am mentally and emotionally messed up, suicidal, abused, hurt, etc.? If we get the first command and set that as PRIORITY for ourselves EACH DAY when we wake up and remind ourselves through the day, then the second follows much easier.

E.g. If God my Elohim can love me enough to humble Himself in Jesus and suffer shame, humiliation, pain, scourging and death, naked on a cross to save all mankind, even me, and if He shall chose beforehand to do that for people who even today disregard and disrespect Him, then I can choose to humble myself and show agape.

HOW: LOOK AT BIBLE EXAMPLES.

JESUS

“Who, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, was made human. And as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross!” Philippians 2:6-8

“For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father? Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”? Hebrews 1:5

“You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore, God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” Hebrews1:9

“In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So, Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.” Hebrews 2:10-11

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.” Hebrews 5:7-9

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Hebrews 12:2-8

We see that Jesus made up his mind right at the start.

A. He chose servitude over power

B. He chose to obey the Father’s will all the time, over and above His own will.

C. He chose to love righteousness like the Father and hate evil just like the Father.

D. He chose to suffer so he could mature (be perfect) and achieve His Father’s will and goal.

E. He chose to spend a lot of time with the Father, crying, praying, and depending on the Father to help him when he was going through pain.

F. He chose to scorn the shame of the cross and endure excruciating and humiliation while following God’s command to the end.

G. He chose to focus on the end goal through it all, to be victorious.

Just like Jesus, we chose at our baptism to change our mindset and heart and allow God to mould us into the likeness of Jesus as we walk each day, while enduring the difficulties of life and scorn any shame until we reach our heaven goal, the salvation of our souls.

In Matthew 5-7, we read Jesus telling us how to live successful practical lives in God’s Kingdom. Basically, the whole of the New Testament is encouraging each of us as saved disciples of Christ how to do that effectively and triumphantly as overcomers. All summarized in the book of Hebrews 12. Remember we can do ALL things through Christ Jesus who is our strength and example. God is freeing us and making us whole again, Philippians 4:4.

At my baptism, my fears and loneliness let. God started remoulding my mind, thoughts, and heart. Now, years later, I know I am free from sin, permanent separation from God, shame, guilt, and the extreme pain I felt. It is not just head knowledge anymore. There truly is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. He has freed me completely and made me whole again.

FAITHFULS

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” Hebrews 11:1-2

They each looked beyond their current physical situation to the eternal future. Believed it all, changed their mindset. Then set out wholeheartedly in its direction.

“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitting that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had let, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country–a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” Hebrews 11:13-16

They all had the following in common.

1. They recognised who and whose they were. Elohim, YHVH was their awesome God, and they were His
obedient people.

2. In their minds, they were foreigners on earth, on their way home.

3. They swapped the worldly country they let behind (and its ways), for a heavenly city and kingdom built by
their God.

4. Hardships and persecutions did not change their minds or heart’s desire.

5. Everything they thought, felt, and did was BY FAITH, and they were commended and blessed by God for it.

So, what about us? What would the Spirit say? BY FAITH, (put your Name), ………

PAUL

In Philippians 3:4-6, Paul could be described as religious, murderer and legalist before he became a Christian.

Paul led by the Spirit writes the following.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentle. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17

In Philippians 3:7-17 / Romans 12:1-2 and Ephesians 6:11-18, Paul advises us in the following ways.

1. Choose Not to Focus on what is past (even though we remember it) but strain towards our goal, which Christ is calling us to, eternal in heaven.

2. Don’t be trapped in the past. Don’t let it stop you from moving forward in Christ.

3. Instead, transform your mind and your thinking by making it new. See things differently. Think differently.

4. Put on the armour of God. The heart and mind are the well spring our life. They are where sin and evil attack to separate, kill and destroy us. God’s armour guards the mind, heart, and soul, not the physical body, which continues to be battered by sin and the difficulties of life. The basis of our warfare and struggles are spiritual not physical. The physical is used to attack the spiritual.

A. Remember: When you remember the past wrongs, you must also remember what God has done to bring you through, just as God constantly reminded Israel of who He is (the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob); and what He did for them (the God who brought them out of the slavery in Egypt, leading providing and protecting them for forty years in the wilderness and brought them safely to the promised land).

B. Then set your mind, thoughts, and focus, on things above where Christ is seated, Colossians 3:1-4. At our baptism, we died, and we were raised with Christ. Our life is now hidden with Christ in God. So now we set our heart and mind on things above in heaven, where Christ is, not on earthly things. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then we will appear with him in glory. Start seeing things differently.

C. Do not be anxious about anything the LORD is with you. When you start getting anxious about anything, STOP. REFOCUS. Pray, fast and petition God and thank Him in the situation. Read God’s word, meditate on it. Memorise short passages of scripture so you can recall it when needed. God’s peace, which transcends all understanding, will then guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.

D. Do not struggle with guilt. Be ready for when Satan comes to accuse you, Revelation 12:10. You and I cannot silence Satan,. but Jesus can. He comes between us and Satan’s accusation and condemnation. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Romans 8:1.

Jesus shows us mercy, love and leads us in His path, and we follow as we have already decided. Then neither do I condemn you, he tells the woman, John 8:10-11. Forgiveness is available because Jesus took our sin, guilt, and shame upon Himself on the cross Romans 3. We don’t have to carry it anymore, John 8:3. Let it go, Hebrews 8:12 / Romans 8:1.

E. Then, let agape thoughts fill your mind and heart.

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Then act.) Philippians 4:5-8

E. Rejoice freely every time in your new life and viewpoint on Christ Jesus. Be spontaneous. Sing psalms, spiritual songs with your mind, your understanding while making melody / music with your heart (the seat of your emotion) full of thanks to God. Sing on your own, with and to others. I sing a lot at home, and it connects my mind and heart to heaven.

F. Let your heart, mind, and mouth work together when you sing, talk, pray, doing good and sharing with others in Jesus’s Name. Encourage others even more as you see the Day (Sunday) approaching. Call, text, visit others as much as you can. This is a pleasing sacrifice to God, Ephesians 5:19 / Colossians 3:16-17 / Hebrews 13:15-16 / Philippians 4:4 / Hebrews 19:24-35.

In Romans 12, Paul reminds the Christians in Rome and, therefore us to do as follows.

1. Choose to Totally and freely give our whole being (heart, mind, soul, and strength) to God as a living sacrifice and not walk away. Be pleasing to God by being holy (set apart) for His use and purpose each day.

2. Choose to no longer see, think, walk, and act as the rest of the world does. Choose to Renew our mind so we can continually be transformed by the Holy Spirit.

3. Now we can more easily choose to act sincerely in humility and mercy, using the talents He has given us to do His good work such as serving, encouraging, leading, helping, guiding, and supporting each other in the kingdom and in the world. Even our enemies.

4. Choose not to be overcome by evil but use good thoughts and deeds to overcome sin and evil.

Remembering the Holy Spirit is in me and counselling me, makes it easier to refocus and say no to worldly actions like greed, anger, slander, malice, hatred, lying, sexual immortality, lust etc., because I now realize these hold me back and prevent me from reaching my heavenly goal.

The world’s response to being hurt is anger, hatred, revenge, malice, gossip, etc., and we can tell ourselves we have the right to feel and behave this way. Now that I know differently, I choose to humble myself to my LORD living in me, and act differently, even apologize to someone for how I reacted even if what I said was the truth but how I said it was not gracious.

SUMMARY

It really is all about our heart and mindset.

1. CHOOSE who and whose you are.

2. DECIDE to faithfully believe and obey God. Don’t change your mind on the way.

3. RENEW & & TRANSFORM your mind. It’s one thing to have knowledge and wisdom and another to truly apply it each day. (e.g. Solomon in his marriage and life. Only in the end did he recognise his whole duty wasn’t just to satisfy his physical nature but to love God and keep His commands using his God given wisdom.

4. GUARD your heart, mind and step with God’s word and armour always. Never take it off. It constantly protects your mind and heart; and connects you to God. The only One who can help in all situations to fulfil your purpose.

5. DON’T COMPARE yourself to other people to want to be like them rather than like the creator, 1 Samuel 8:1-10 / Exodus 19:3-6 / 1 Peter 2:4-5. You are part of a chosen race, a holy nation, God’s own treasured possession, a priest offering spiritual sacrifices and proclaiming God’s excellence each day. As foreigners choose the spirit over the fleshes’ desires.

6. LOOK BEYOND the physical, through to the spiritual, to the unseen, to see the real picture of life.

7. ENDURE to the end. You are surrounded by a cloud of faithful witnesses who have done it. Our greatest example is Jesus our LORD King Saviour and High Priest, who is with us always until the end.

8. STAY YOKED to Jesus and keep walking in step with God’s Spirit in you, whom you received at your immersion and addition into God’s Kingdom and family.

9. REMEMBERING the past is ok only when you use it to remember how God has brought you through. Then look forward heavenwards. Refuse to be stuck in the past.

10. DON’T BE AFARID TO SOAR boldly and humbly in the freedom you now have in Christ. You are free from all condemnation, guilt, and shame.

11. SUPPORT EACH OTHER and commit to doing it daily. Encourage each other to agape love, do God’s work, and get together regularly. Remembering to share with everyone, even enemies.

12. DO NOT STRUGGLE WITH GUILT. It’s all been washed away by the blood of Jesus. Do not go fishing.

13. KEEP IN STEP with the Holy Spirit in you.

With these in mind, we can joyfully achieve our purpose and do all the good works God planned for us to do
and bring glory to Him.

THE REWARD IN THE END IS MIND-BLOWING!!

Have you ever seen those ‘magic eye pictures’? They are basically pictures with blurs through them, until you stare at them closely, you will see pictures of animals or planets in 3D.

The next time you look into one of those pictures and see a planet, just remember that God is in total control. Sometimes we see pictures of lions and they are a reminder that God (Elohim) and the Faithfuls who are now in heaven, are encouraging and helping us.