THE MIND OF THE LORD
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. The Mind Of The Lord
a) There are many people who want to tell God how he should think. As the mind of society changes on some issue or other, people think that the word of God should be edited to reflect this shift in human thought. How often do we hear the church being called upon to move with the times and reflect current community thinking? This assumes that God thinks as human beings think, or even that God exists by human thought.
b) God has been dealing with arrogance in human beings from antiquity. We look in Isaiah and references by Paul when he compares the mind of the Lord to the mind of man.
c) God makes comparison of his mind with ours, when he is assuring us of his compassion toward any unrighteous person who forsakes sin and returns to God. He says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways... for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9).
Isaiah 40:13
13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His counselor has informed Him?
d) In Romans Paul states that God’s will is to treat all sinners on the same basis. "God has shut up all in disobedience that he might show mercy to all" (Romans 11:32). Then, considering this fact that any and every person can say, "I am included, God wishes to show mercy to me!" Paul exclaims, "O the depth of the riches and the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways!" (Romans 11:33). He then quotes Isaiah’s rhetorical question, "For who has known (measured) the mind of the Lord or who has become his counselor?" (Romans 11:34, Isaiah 40:13)
e) It is not man’s place to tell God what to think. Rather, it is man’s place to listen intently to what God tells him. Therefore let us humbly hear the word of God, believe what he tells us, and hasten to obey.
The End ...
1. The Mind Of The Lord a) There are many people who want to tell God how he should think. As the mind of society changes on some issue or other, people think that the word of God should be edited to reflect this shift in human thought. How often do we hear the church being called upon to move with the times and reflect current community thinking? This assumes that God thinks as human beings think, or even that God exists by human thought.
b) God has been dealing with arrogance in human beings from antiquity. We look in Isaiah and references by Paul when he compares the mind of the Lord to the mind of man.
c) God makes comparison of his mind with ours, when he is assuring us of his compassion toward any unrighteous person who forsakes sin and returns to God. He says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways... for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9).
Isaiah 40:13
13 Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His counselor has informed Him?
d) In Romans Paul states that God’s will is to treat all sinners on the same basis. "God has shut up all in disobedience that he might show mercy to all" (Romans 11:32). Then, considering this fact that any and every person can say, "I am included, God wishes to show mercy to me!" Paul exclaims, "O the depth of the riches and the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways!" (Romans 11:33). He then quotes Isaiah’s rhetorical question, "For who has known (measured) the mind of the Lord or who has become his counselor?" (Romans 11:34, Isaiah 40:13)
e) It is not man’s place to tell God what to think. Rather, it is man’s place to listen intently to what God tells him. Therefore let us humbly hear the word of God, believe what he tells us, and hasten to obey.
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