Bro Kenneth Yoder
ROMANS 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritual minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
With this passage we shall begin our study on the subject of "A Challenge to be Spiritual". I consider it to be a real challenge to be a spiritual individual today. First of all, because of the wicked conditions in the world and second, because of the prevailing lukewarm-ness in the church. It is a genuine challenge to be a spiritual person (one who is dedicated to the Lord and zealous of good works). The sinful condition of the world has never been conducive to living a holy life, but the challenge is intensified because neither are the conditions that are presently prevailing in the church.
Paul was contrasting being carnal with being spiritual. He wrote, "They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit."He is reminding us of a truth that most of us are aware of, namely, that if we live in conformity to the desires of the flesh, it is because we are focusing on the things of the flesh. The word "mind", means to focus one's attention on something. The idea is similar in meaning to the reminder made by parents to their children, "Now, you mind me." What they mean is, "You pay attention and obey me." To paraphrase this text: "those who obey the desires of the flesh and live according to those desires, are those who pay attention to or focus on the flesh, but those who obey the directions of the Spirit are those who focus on the things of the Spirit".
I want to develop this thought. What does it mean to be carnally minded or spiritually minded? I have searched for a word which would convey the idea of these scriptural expressions. I have concluded that the expression, "mind-set" describes them more clearly than any other expression in common use today. When we speak of one's "mind-set" we are talking about their opinions, inclinations and mental disposition; the focus or bent of one's thoughts, ideals, desires and goals; the things which make up a person's emotional and mental outlook. How one's mind is set determines the way in which one thinks and the mental outlook that one possesses. The way we look at things determines the values which are important to us, the desires which motivate us and the goals which we strive for. That is one's "mind-set". Now, when the Bible speaks of being "carnally minded", what it is speaking of is one whose mind-set, (their outlook, their values, their desires and their purposes) is focused on the things of the flesh. This "mind-set" which includes one's entire way of thinking, (subconsciously as well as consciously) controls and directs the basic mental processes which determine what one's life is going to be. The direct opposite of being "carnally minded"' are those who are "spiritually minded" (whose values, inclinations, mental outlook, purposes and goals are from a spiritual point of view). These mental dispositions which lay deep within one's mind or spirit is what the Scripture means by being "carnally minded"' and "spiritually minded".
The direction of each one of our lives is set by the spirit which we posses. The direction of your life is set by your mind-set more than by any passing or temporary good desire. Most people experience occasional periods of temporary desires to be better or to be more spiritual. There are times when under the influence of anointed preaching, the Spirit of God speaks to your heart and urges you to be more spiritual. In such a time you may determine you are going to be more spiritual but the spirit that you possess will determine your life more than any momentary determination.
Often when in special meetings, such as fellowship meetings or camp meetings your soul is really stirred and really challenged. You want to be what God wants you to be and sometimes you respond to the message by going to an altar of prayer but it does not have any lasting results. Now, the reason for this is that deep within us is something more powerful than these momentary desires or determinations. Deep within us is a spirit and that spirit, my friend, has a certain mind-set (mental disposition with certain values, attitudes, thoughts and purposes). It is what you really are. Your life is determined by the spirit which you possess. This is the reason why so many people never become spiritual nor do they ever go very deep with the Lord. Their spirit has never really been cleansed of the carnal attitudes. The very thing which determines the direction of their life has never really been changed. They have only experienced a superficial cleansing (a shallow change and a shallow determination). To be "carnally minded"' therefore means to focus the attention of your mind and heart on the things of the flesh in this temporal life; the things which have to do with our present life on this earth. To be "spiritually minded'' is to focus the attention of our mind and heart upon the things of the Spirit and on eternal things.
The Christian life is not determined by a carnal spirit but by the Spirit of God. You cannot live a Christian life and possess a mind-set that is basically carnal, fleshly and worldly. Some who claim to desire to be more spiritual have experienced constant failure. One of the reasons for this failure is because the very spirit which they possess is so contrary to their desires to be spiritual that they continually fail. We need to be possessed by the Spirit of God. This means that the Spirit of God will become the ruling determination in our life. It also means that the focus of our life is on the spiritual and eternal.
We may attempt to excuse ourselves for being carnally minded but if the Spirit of God is the ruling determination in our lives we will focus on the spiritual things. The real question which we need to address is, "what kind of a spirit do I possess?" Is it carnal and worldly or is it spiritually and heavenly? We have people in our congregations who come to worship service every Sunday but they are not spiritual. Some who profess to be Christians have their mind set on the things of this world. They are deeply involved in making money. They are so entangled in the affairs of this life with their careers and various projects or activities. Their mind-set is worldly and carnal. This is the reason why a worldly and a carnal spirit prevail in some churches. Some congregations need to ask themselves, "What kind of a spirit do we possess?" Do we have the Spirit of God or do we have another kind of a spirit?
To me this prevailing condition presents a real challenge to be spiritual in the day and time in which we live. To be a spiritual person means adopting a lifestyle which is contrary to the accepted definition of success. By way of example to clarify what I am saying, whenever you ask an individual who has grown children, "how is your family getting along?" Almost without exception they will answer you what a good job or fine home they have. We tend to interpret well-being in worldly terms. We determine whether our family is getting along well by carnal values. Simply take notice of how often we define success in terms of the material, the financial, the carnal or the worldly, instead of by spiritual values.
I repeat we need to be challenged to be a spiritual people. Why? First of all because of the sinful conditions of the world, and secondly, because of the lukewarm condition that is prevailing in the church. Let us study these prevailing conditions.
The sinful condition of this present evil world places us as God's people in a very difficult role. We are in the world but we are not of it. This is not an easy role. It is not easy to live in this evil world every day and not be influenced by it. We must resist being caught up in the materialistic spirit of our culture. Our culture is saturated with materialism. It is a difficult thing to keep your goals spiritual when everybody around you has materialistic goals.
John 17:14-16 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. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as lam not of the world.
The "evil of the world" in this passage certainly includes what we consider the gross sins of drunkenness, drugs and perverted sex. But more than these are meant by "not of the world". If we're going to be a spiritual people, we must realize that this is not our Father's world. There is a prince of this world and it is not God (John 14:30 & II Cor 4:4). All the basic attitudes which make up the spirit of this world are not of God. The world is our enemy.
I John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world, if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
This is a definite command, "love not the world", which means don't focus your attention nor place your affection on the things of the world. "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” You can't have it both ways. You must make a choice of what kind of a spirit is going to possess and direct your life; whether it is going to be a carnal spirit or a heavenly spirit. You must make that choice.
"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but it is of the world. "
That is why I said that this is not our Father's world. This world, (the culture and it's values) of which we are a part, must not be allowed to captivate our love. The "lust of the flesh'' refers to the selfish, sinful passions and desires of the flesh. The "lust of the eyes" refers to the craving for things simply because what we see we often yearn for. Those who started the kind of marketing which puts everything out on display where it is easily seen really understood this basic human lust. Now what does "the pride of life" refer to? Let me paraphrase this expression: pride in one's lifestyle. It refers to a pride resulting from one's possessions and worldly achievements.
A brief summary of all three of these characteristics would be: one who loves the world is one who is motivated by selfish human desires and passions, which crave for what his eyes sees and expresses itself in an outward show of pride in one's possessions. It is the condition which I have described above. It occurs whenever people feel that what they possess is the true meaning of life or whenever one defines success in terms of possessions and carnal values.
By the way, what are your values? Suppose you have a son or a daughter who is barely making it financially, yet they are truly living for the Lord, would you convey to them that you consider them a success? Many have so sought after the things of this world that they have instilled carnal values within their children: attitudes which make it impossible for them to be deeply spiritual. They have so focused on the things of this world that they cannot focus on the things of God.
We have people that are so involved in the things of this world that they come to church on Sunday morning with bloated faces and swollen eyes literally worn out from worldly activities, who go to sleep almost every service. I have repeated these warnings so often that I am almost ashamed to mention it again. I have advised that on Saturday afternoon about 3 o'clock you ought to begin to shut down every project or activity and prepare for worship. Oh, they can't do that because they have so many pressing demands, but most of those pressing demands are defined in worldly terms. We stay up late at night and we get up early in the morning to focus our life on worldly things. We're not getting up early in the morning to pray but to make more money. We stay up late not to spend time with God in His word but so we can get done what we didn't have time to do during the day. Then we wonder why our worship services are not spiritual or why the Spirit of God is not present. My answer is that we haven't prepared ourselves for worship. You can't live worldly all week long and come into church on Sunday and expect spiritual services.
It is difficult for us to evaluate the time in which we live because we live in it and are a part of it. The cultural values which we have grown up with are the things which have formed our mind-set. The things we value and the things which we focus on, have been so gradually developed over a period of a life-time that it is very difficult for us to evaluate them. The nominal church in our day and time has yielded itself to the influence of the culture in which it lives. This is one of the reasons that the church has ceased to be a light. She has been so influenced by the culture in which she exists, that the things which ought to make her different have almost disappeared. The only way that the church can be a light to the world is to be different. We can never be a light to someone by being like them; it is only the different focus of our lives; the different values; and the different purposes for which we live that is the light.
We are even taught to be like the world as a means of winning the world. I don't know who started this idea but it is certainly propagated by many today. It is said that the way to win the world is to be like the world or to be as much like them as we possibly can. Also, that the way to win the world is to hide the differences. Many consider it is best to keep people in the dark until after they have made a commitment. We hope that their commitment to Christ will help them to accept the demands of a Christian life. That is just the opposite from what our Lord taught us.
Luke 14:26-30 if any man come to me and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it all that behold it begin to mock him. Saying, this man began to build, and was not able to finish.
I repeat, the church has ceased to be a light to the world. When the light of the church goes out, great darkness will follow. Do you know why we in America are so engulfed in spiritual darkness? One of the main reasons is because the professing nominal church has ceased to be a light. The church is simply following cultural forms and worldly ways. The church is trying to sanctify them by giving them Christian names. Oh, what a challenge it is for us to be a truly spiritual people!
We are faced with an ever-increasing appetite for the different forms of our godless culture. The deeper problem which we face in this ever-increasing appetite for this kind of thing, is that a wholesome spiritual appetite has been lost. The things of God seem so bland and tasteless to many people. They lose their taste for spiritual things. Somebody asks, "What do you mean, we are losing our taste for that which is spiritual?" It is revealed in our loss of desire for prayer, Bible reading and church attendance. We have a greater problem today of getting people to attend church than we have had in the past. Most of those who are absent have some worldly project to complete or some worldly activity to attend. The focus of their lives is on this present world. These concerns are so pressing that they decide to stay away. I believe that if you will really think about this you will discover that the overwhelming evidence is that we have lost our tastes for the spiritual and it has been replaced by an appetite for the carnal.
Many times people try to curtail the carnal and worldly activity but as long as the appetite for them remains it is impossible to obtain permanent victory over them. Do you know why it is so difficult to get people to refrain from indulging in the things of the world? The answer is because they have an appetite for them. To solve the problem we face we must go deeper than curtailing activities. We must get rid of our appetite for the carnal and renew an appetite for the spiritual. We need to return to the place where we have a spiritual appetite again; where we hunger and thirst after the things of God (see Matt 5:10 & 6:33). I trust you realize that the actual problem is one of a lost spiritual appetite. Many have a carnal appetite and they are experiencing an ever-increasing craving for the things of this world.
We must refuse to participate in any kind of activity which would hinder us from being spiritual men and women. One of the most tragic mistakes during the past several years is that many have allowed their families to develop a taste for the things of this world. We must renew our spiritual appetite so that we hunger and thirst after the things of God once again.
The second reason that it is a real challenge to be a spiritual person is the lukewarm conditions that are prevailing in the church. In too many cases the conditions in the church, the atmosphere of the worship services, are not conducive to spiritual growth. We have succumbed to the idea that the church must entertain people to get them to attend.
Revelation 3:14-22 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou an wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
This congregation was probably one of the congregations which resulted from Paul's ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19:10). In each of the seven letters in Revelation there was something to overcome. In this particular letter the condition to overcome was "lukewarmness". Lukewarmness is expressed in one's attitude in serving God. The attitude in which one comes to worship service, the way the people sing, the way they pray and the way the preacher preaches, can reveal whether a church is lukewarm or not. If they are indifferent or act as if they are just filling the time then they are lukewarm. I have been in a few worship services where I have felt that I lost something instead of receiving benefit. I have went and expected to receive help but when I left I felt robbed.
The spiritual condition of Laodicea was neither hot nor cold. They were not characterized by the coldness of rejecting God nor by the warmness of loving God. They were simply indifferent! Many are indifferent in the church today. Believe me; I know what I'm talking about. When a preacher issues a plea to vigorous and energetic holy living there are only a few in any congregation who will respond to such a call. Most folks are not willing to change their lifestyle. They are not willing to make the necessary changes to be spiritual and until they are, they will never be a truly spiritual people.
Lukewarmness causes Divine nausea. God said, "I will spue thee out of my mouth." Put in plain English this means "vomit". God said, "Lukewarmness makes me sick." I wonder how many of our worship services make God sick. Somebody may ask, "What do you mean?" This expression and similar ones in other passages of Scriptures denote the fact that it arouses disgust in God whenever the spirit of our worship is lukewarm. The tragedy of this condition is that even though they were lukewarm and were arousing the disgust of God they were totally unaware of it. We can lose our spirituality and not realize it. Notice verse 8, "thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing and knowest not that thou are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. " I am afraid that often the things which we most need, we are the least unaware of. Do you know why? Because the inevitable result of losing one's spirituality is a loss of being able to understand one's true condition before God. When we are spiritually complacent, indifferent or lukewarm, we lose our ability to evaluate our spiritual condition. That is what had happened to this church. They thought that they were doing great, but in reality they were nauseating to God.
Jesus counseled them to buy what they were confident they had no need of. First, "gold tried in the fire", this refers to faith which has passed through the refining of trials. That is what makes us rich in God's sight. Come on now, our fine buildings and our padded pews are not what makes us rich. I am thankful for what God has given us to enjoy but the thing that makes us spiritually rich in God's sight is faith that has passed through the refining fire.
Those who are familiar with these seven churches in Revelation know that Laodicea is called the "Poor-Rich" church while Smyrna is called the "Rich-Poor" church. Laodicea: Rev 3:17 "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increase with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. "Smyrna: Rev. 2:9 "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich. "Many believe that God is blessing them because they simply are calculating blessings in financial terms. But often this is a very poor indicator of being spiritual.
The second spiritual need of this church was "white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed", which is true righteousness (see Rev. 19:8). The third need was "anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see", which would remedy their condition of spiritual blindness, so that they could correctly evaluate their spiritual condition.
This is followed by an invitation, "Behold I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." The expression, "if any man", means if any individual. Some try to excuse themselves by saying, "Do you expect me to be spiritual, when our congregation is so lukewarm? Our singing is lifeless and the praying is only a formality. How do you really expect me to be a spiritual person?" Yes I do and so does God. "If any man hear my voice and open the door", this is an invitation from our Lord, inviting us to spiritual communion and fellowship with Himself. "I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me", I have used this text to preach on the subject, "Communion with God in the Midst of a Lukewarm Church".
Now I recognize that it is a challenge to be a spiritual person (one who lives in close fellowship with God) in a church that is lukewarm. If you are in the midst of a lukewarm church you may feel like a "holy-joe" or a fanatic. You may wonder, "What is wrong with me?" or "Why are my values and outlook so different from the people that I worship with?" It is possible to be more spiritual than the church in which you worship. Many people are excusing themselves for living on a very low plain of spirituality because they consider that the prevailing lukewarm condition in the church is a valid excuse for their neglect and short comings. Listen to me, even though it is true that the prevailing condition of the church is.Iukewarmness, it is not a valid excuse before God.
Lukewarmness is manifested among us by the attitude which acknowledges that salvation is "important" but not that it is the "most important" thing. You may ask, "How is this attitude manifested?" The answer is, when people neglect their spiritual responsibilities for worldly concerns or when they neglect attendance in the house of God to attend other functions or activities. Some consider me to be a fanatic but I believe that if salvation means anything it ought to mean everything! We need to return to an attitude which demonstrates that the things of God are the most important.
The reason we are not returning to this attitude is because our mind-set, our value system and the way we look at things is carnal and not spiritual. A truly spiritual Christian is rare among us. I have pastored for over 50 years and have discovered that the members in any congregation who are deeply spiritual are few. It is not because I haven't challenged them, but it is because most have yielded to an attitude that has let them be less than what God would have them to be.
I challenge you, everyone of you who read this message, to be spiritual in the midst of a sinful world and a lukewarm church! May I ask you a very personal question? Will you accept this challenge? God often challenges us in His word to be faithful even if our generation is not. The life of Enoch ought to challenge us. He lived in a very wicked generation. The reason the faith of Enoch is so outstanding is because he lived in a time when the whole world was going away from God, yet he walked with God. Genesis 5:24 "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." Enoch walked with God in the midst of a generation which was turning away from God. The sinful conditions of his time finally became so corrupt and so depraved that only Enoch's grandson, Noah and his family were righteous. Noah, grandson of Enoch, lived in a time when none but he and his family really knew God. What a challenge Noah's life ought to be to us. Abraham, the father of our faith, left his family and his country because they were idol worshipers and followed God with his whole heart.
I dare you to really get honest before God and to promise God to be spiritual no matter what others do. This is not an easy thing because it is going to cost you. It is going to cost you in terms of what you are involved in and what you are not involved in. It is going to cost you in terms of changing your focus of life. I dare you to be all that God wants you to be. I trust that there is someone who is responding to this challenge to be spiritual as they read this message.
Jesus said, "as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten." Because God loves us, He rebukes us for our condition and corrects us, "Be zealous therefore, and repent." We need some zealous repenting. What do I mean by zealous repenting? Repenting which is not reluctant, but anxiously willing. Anxious to be what God would have us to be.
I will close by saying, no amount of effort or money can ever bring revival as long as the spirit of the church is carnal and as long as the focus of our lives is not on the spiritual. To be satisfied with any amount of supposed success while we are aware that we are not spiritual people is so foolish because it can only end in spiritual loss. When we become satisfied with token success while at the same time we know we are not spiritual then we deceive ourselves.
May I ask you one more question? If you have some free time how do you spend it? If you answer that question honestly you will discover where the real focus of your life is because where your heart is, is where you spend your time. Time is life and how you spend time is how you spend life. Spending time with God, meditating on His word and communing with the Lord is almost a lost art among us. We give God fleeting moments while on the run but we don't spend time with the Lord.
We can make all kinds of claims, (how much we love God, etc) but if we are not truly spiritual people, the predisposed mind-set of our inner self will not be focused on the things of God. For me personally, to be a real man of God, to live by all that God has revealed to me and to honestly accept God's total will for my life is my greatest challenge. I know we live in difficult days and wicked times. I live in the same world that you do; I don't have a little escape closet I go into and live there. I have the same influences working on me and I face the same discouragement that you face. I have accepted the challenge I am issuing to you and have discovered that God's grace is genuinely sufficient. "END"