Keeping It Real: A Sober Mind

The Bible contains several passages concerning being sober-minded – I Peter 5:8, I Peter 4:7, Titus 2:2 and 2:6, and I Timothy 3:2 among these. The point is that our thoughts are to be under God’s control as much as our actions. I Peter 1:13 tells us to prepare our minds for action, being sober-minded with our hope in Christ. We are to think and act like God thinks. Our minds have to be where His is.

Matthew 16:21 begins a story of Peter claiming he will stand between Jesus and death, but Jesus rebukes Him fairly strongly, telling Peter his mind is set on the things of this world rather than the things of God. In other words, Peter is thinking like man instead of like God. Jesus then speaks to His apostles about true self-denial, to align our minds and values with God’s.

Paul, in Romans 12:1-2, says we should not act like the world. Instead we should be living sacrifices, not conformed to the world, but transformed through renewing our minds. This is what being sober-minded is about – thinking like God thinks. That is our reality.

Challenges to Sober-Mindedness

What things can impair our judgment? What can take our minds off of our Lord? Part of it comes down to what we put in our minds with television, movies, our music, sites we visit. Along with filling our own minds, we are filling our family’s minds with the same content. We should always be cautious about this because God expects our minds to be under control, and we can become drunk on poor influences through the media we consume.

Also, in Galatians 5:19-21, Paul covers many activities we will fall into when out of control. Among these, Paul discusses physical drunkenness. I Corinthians 5:11 covers similar activities, warning us to even avoid people who live such lifestyles. Ephesians 5:18 instructs us to fill ourselves with the Spirit rather than drunkenness and these other poor qualities. Once we abandon sober-mindedness, it becomes easier and easier to lose all self control.

Maintaining a Sober Mind

This means we may have to avoid attending some parties we might want to go to. This means we may have to block some sites we’ve grown used to visiting. This means we may have to simply turn the television or radio off. In some cases, we may have to ask for help from our church family; Galatians 6:2 reminds us we are responsible for each other, bearing each others' struggles and burdens. We may even need to seek treatment in some cases, depending on the seriousness of our challenges.

I Peter 4 tells us Jesus faced all of the same challenges we do and that it is possible to think like He did, not subjecting to the tyranny of our own desires but subjecting ourselves to the will of God. That life will be one free of the burden of guilt and one with a clear mind. I Peter 3:13-16 reminds us to live with a clear conscious, with thoughts and minds prepared for God’s service at all times. We live sober lives because of what Jesus did for us and because we want to be closer to Him, and we want to be like Him.

lesson by Ben Lanius

Are We Having Fun Yet?

There are times in this life when sorrow rolls over us and peace is far away. There are times when our sin is ever before us. The phrase, “Are we having fun yet?” is a sarcastic remark that permeates pop culture. Usually, when we ask this question, we are feeling the exact opposite. “Are we having fun yet?” may have, in fact, made a good title to some of the chapters in the book of Ecclesiastes. Many of the issues we find in the wisdom literature still exist today.

Solomon recognizes times of trouble, times of sin, times of conflict. He sees much around him that is without endurance and without foundation. He sees that we live in a broken world where bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. We see twisting of justice. We see a lack of fairness. It is not life itself that is unprofitable or vanity. Rather, vanity comes from living to the world’s standards of success and happiness. Successful jobs, praise from others, material possessions, pushing boundaries – none of these things fulfill man’s purpose nor provide enduring contentment.

Seeking the Next Fix
We grow dull and desensitized to those things that give us joy and excitement. Solomon begins looking for pleasure in chapter 2, but that is not enough. He then moves on to building great works – houses, gardens, parks, pools, etc. Verse 7 then transitions to material possessions. He has servants, flocks, silver and gold. It begins with him seeking pleasure, and he moves on time and again to the next fix. By verses 10-12, Solomon indulges in any and every joy he sees – whether wise or foolish.

By chapter 2:17-20, all of this brings him despair and dissatisfaction. He seeks pleasure in this life, regardless of the source. Hebrews 11:24-25, in the context of Moses’ life, speaks of the pleasures of sin, yet the writer calls these pleasures seasonal. They are temporary and transient. Moses recognizes this and chooses God. While we acknowledge the ability of sin to deliver pleasure and satisfaction, but what long-term gains come from it. Romans 6:20 calls sin freedom from righteousness, but verse 21 asks what the point it, though, when the end of that freedom is destruction.

Discovering True Contentment
Can respect, honor, dignity, and love come from living in sin? Paul says no – shame and death come from sin. Are we having fun yet, while we continue to distance ourselves from God? Returning to Ecclesiastes 2, however, Solomon sees hope. In verses 22-24, he sees that one can enjoy life in this broken world while acknowledging God and keeping Him in perspective. Chapter 5:18 reinforces this idea of enjoying our possessions and labors in gratitude to God. Chapter 8:12 reminds us that those who do good will do well before God. He concludes in chapter 12 by admonishing us all to remember our Creator and to live our lives for Him.

Solomon recognizes that striving after fulfillment in this life ultimately results in vanity. No matter how we try to ignore it or run from it, we know eternity awaits us. Many aspects of life lose meaning without God. Without Him, all these pleasures and achievements are mere distractions that will leave voids needing to be filled again and again. Are we having fun yet? Perhaps that is the wrong question altogether. Paul asks of the fruits of sin, but he offers hope in Romans 6:22-23. We are free from sin in Christ’s sacrifice, and he concludes where Solomon concludes: serve God. We can enjoy the things of this life, but we have meaning and contentment when we acknowledge the temporary nature of this world. In serving God and obeying Him, we can enjoy life and find peace in a broken world.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Biblical Appeals

In Ecclesiastes 3:11, the author observes that God makes everything beautiful in its time, setting eternity in the heart of man. The latter part of the verse explains that God has given us a sense of something greater in our hearts, some recognition that we owe our existence to One greater than us. Our compulsive drive to understand the forces behind the world around us results from our creation after the image of He who set these forces in motion. We come to a better understanding of God and ourselves when we study from God’s word.

Wanting God in our lives without having his word in our lives is like being a lawyer that does not study law, like an engineer that knows nothing of physics. To know Him requires interaction with His word. Too often, our Bibles collect dust on days between worship services, and we are inundated with the concept that God’s word is out of date. We believe it no longer applies to us. How could something written two thousand years ago still appeal to mankind? The Bible does, and it appeals to man on an intellectual basis, on a philosophical basis, and a spiritual basis.

Rational Appeal

• The Bible teaches us to learn from the actions of others. I Corinthians 10:1 begins a passage that opens with a reminder of things happening to those in the Old Testament, and Paul states those events happened so we may have an example. We learn from those who have come before us. Israel’s interactions with God teaches about the nature of God, His justice, His mercy, and His expectations.
• The Bible teaches what we want is not what we need. In I Samuel 8, the people call for a king, and God gives them a king impressive to the people. The second king, a boy called David, defies expectations, but God, in I Samuel 16:7, tells Samuel to look beyond David’s appearance. God see the heart. The king the people expect and want is not the king they need.
• The Bible teaches that nothing escapes God’s notice. In Genesis 47, Jacob looks back on the deceptions filling his life, and he recognizes that he has received as he had given. Back in Genesis 42, Joseph’s brothers recognize their guilt over their brother’s disappearance – years after the event. They see they are reaping the consequences of their actions.

Philosophical Appeal

• The Bible appeals to the pursuit of logic and wisdom. It is full of practical wisdom that can guide our lives. Proverbs 15:1, for example, encourages us to answer anger with softness. Proverbs 14:29 esteems one slow to anger. Proverbs 27:15 tells of the dangers of nagging. Proverbs 2:1 talks about seeking after wisdom and the importance of one generation passing wisdom on to the next. The Proverb writer is saying that listening to our elders and seeking wisdom leads to a better life.
• The Bible speaks to counsels relationships. Many wonder why the Song of Solomon is included in the Bible, but in chapter 2:7, the beloved advises her friends to be careful about rushing into relationships. This is repeated in chapter 3:5. Even after she is married to Solomon, she again entreats her friends to seek love only when the person and the time is right. It is a message we would do well to apply in our own relationships
• The Bible addresses pain. On the nature of pain and suffering, we have the book of Job. One frustrating aspect, though, is that Job never receives and answer. What he does learn is that we are not defined by what we have. Luke 12:15 records Jesus saying that life does not consist of things. Instead, Jesus teaches, and Job learns, that sustenance is found in God.

Spiritual Appeal

• Sin separates. Genesis 3 demonstrates the separation between man and God resulting from sin. We see the promises later made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Old Testament tells a story of the fulfillment of God’s promises, leading to a Messiah brought to this world. John 1 describes this Messiah as God in flesh. Without studying His word, we remain unaware of God’s unending nature. The problem of sin remains the same, as Isaiah describes in Isaiah 59:2 and Paul describes in Romans 3:23.
• God’s love remains the same. Isaiah 55:6 calls on God’s people to repent of their sins and return to God. The prophet reassures them He will forgive. We would have a hard time forgiving someone who has wronged us as much as His people wronged Him, but verses 8-9 explain that God’s nature and His love make such forgiveness possible. No matter how many times we let God down, if we turn away and repent, God is willing to forgive. His love has not wavered.
• God’s word is urgent. It can be tempting to be like Agrippa and procrastinate God until another time. However, In Psalm 95:6-9, David appeals to God’s people to respond to Him today. In Hebrews 3:7, 3:15, and 4:7, this same plea is repeated. We never know what the next moment will bring, so the time to respond to His word is always the same: now.

Conclusion

II Peter 1:2-3 speaks of God’s divine power to give us all things pertaining to life and godliness. To fully appreciate the wisdom contained in God’s word, we have to study. For the Bible to be applicable to our lives, we must apply it. We may have eternity in our hearts, but, to spend eternity with God, we must know His word, His plan, and His expectations.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Seeing Without Perceiving; Hearing Without Understanding

There are certain drawing that look like one thing to some and something else to others. (Think of the duck/rabbit picture or the old woman/young woman picture.) The same applies to scripture. I may see one side; you might see another. I fear, however, that sometimes we only see or hear what we want to hear. When it comes to God’s word, there is only one side – God’s. We may point our fingers at those outside the church as viewing God’s this word, but God’s people, historically and today, are in danger of doing the same thing.

Misunderstanding Among God’s Elect

Isaiah 6:10 records God giving Isaiah his mission, and Gad warns that His word would shut the eyes and the ears of the people. In Isaiah 1:16-19, the prophet calls the people to repentance and obedience, and Isaiah 55:6-7 implores those separated from God to return to Him, seeking pardon and forgiveness. Unfortunately, as God warned in chapter 6, the people would hear but not listen. Verse 9 warns Isaiah’s intended audience would see and hear him without comprehension because their hearts are closed. Isaiah 55:10-11, though, proclaims that God’s word will never return to Him without accomplishment.

Moving from one prophet to another, Jeremiah 5:1 records God challenging Jeremiah to seek Jerusalem for anyone who cares about justice and truth. Verse 3 has Jeremiah responding to this by calling the people hardened against God’s word. They have turned away from their Lord, but Jeremiah 5:6-19 warns God’s people will be judged by that word they rejected. As they turned to serve strange gods, so would they be made to serve strange people. Jeremiah 5:20-21 then warns against hearing and seeing God’s words without understanding and applying.

Finally, during the captivity in Ezekiel 12:1-2, God says His prophet is dwelling in a rebellious house that consists of people with eyes that do not see, ears that do not hear. Ezekiel 33:23-28 records the attitude God’s people had, assuming their inheritance of the land of Judah and Israel as a given, but God says He will pull the land from these that reject His word. In Ezekiel 33:30-32, the people come to hear God’s word from the right source, but they fail to apply those words they hear. They sit and listen but do nothing.

Personal Applications

It’s easy to see these failings in coworkers and friends. It’s easy to judge others without judging ourselves. Matthew 13:10 has the apostles asking about Jesus’ habit of teaching parables, and, in His answer, Jesus uses language similar to those prophets of the Old Testament. Those crowds around Him sees without seeing and hears without hearing. Those people claiming to be religious, interested in the words of God, would see and hear what they wanted. They would be entertained by the words but fail to apply. The same can be true of us today.

In Acts 7:57, Stephen is accusing the Jewish leadership of killing God’s messengers time and again. The result of his accusations is his subsequent stoning. In contrast, Peter and the apostles make similar accusations in Acts 2, but verse 37 records a far different response. These opened their hearts to accept God’s word. One would have expected Peter’s and Stephen’s results to be reversed. Hebrews 6:4-6 contains a warning for those who have accepted Christ at one point only to later close their eyes and their ears.

Late in Jesus ministry, in John 6, many leave Him when He stops preaching the things they want to hear. He asks the twelve if they too will abandon Him, and Peter responds that they have no place to go. They recognize Jesus as the source of eternal life. James 1:21-22 encourages us to receive God’s word in meekness, but James goes on to say that we should not only be hearers of that word. We should do it, lest we delude ourselves by only seeing and hearing those things we desire. He says we should humble ourselves before the word, be receptive of the word, and then apply it.

lesson by Tim Smelser