bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ

2 Corinthians 10:1 Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you: Even in Paul’s day, there were those that were rebellious, being led by arrogant ministries, that where undermining the gospel and doing the work of the enemy. They were resisting him and to slander his person and character, Paul addressed these people. So many times we hear people talking about about their Pastor or teacher, the evangelist, the prophet the apostle. I am speaking of the true 5 fold ministry here. The ones sent by God Himself. They get slandered a lot and talked down on. And many times they are misunderstood. Nowhere in the word of God are we told to put down His servants. His word says not to touch His anointed. So many are talking about Brothers and Sisters behind their back. Some are jealous for whatever reason but there is never a reason to be jealous of on another. When we see someone in the Church is is jealous of another brother or sister… This shows that they need to spend more time with God and know who they are and Whose they are. God has plenty of gifts and anointed for every one of His children. This jealousness has got to stop in the Bride. Some think they have their jealous spirit well hidden, but it certainly isn't hidden from God and it usually isn't hidden long-term from others. It is amazing what people strive for out of wrong motivations.  I have seen people half kill themselves in the church striving for what seemed like very Godly things, however it was all in vain because it was motivated by a jealous heart. This thing has got to stop!! James 3:14-16 14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. This is what Jealousy produces… confusion and every evil work. It has nothing to do with God because it is not from above. It is earthly , sensual and devilish. Psalms 105:15 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. Psalms 28:8 The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.  If someone is truly anointed, they would want to encourage the people to discern what is true and what is not. They would encourage people to pursue truth no matter where it would lead. They would love the sheep enough to protect them from falsehood and want to see them grow. They would allow the sheep to learn and think for themselves. The anointing, who is the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and someone who has the Spirit of Truth will never run from seeing error but will confront it when necessary. He will give someone the truth from the Word, subsequently leading us away from error.  2 Corinthians 10:2 But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. Paul will admit that he walks according to the flesh in the sense that we all do.  He is a flesh and blood human being, and he struggles with the same things the Christians struggled with.  But Paul wants to make it clear that he does not war according to the flesh. He is not using fleshly things to fight against spiritual things. We have to understand what flesh can do if we allow it to and understand there is a war that has nothing to do with flesh at all. Sin is of the flesh… but it all goes back to the enemy of our souls. As Pastor King was saying last night. 2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) The carnal weapons that are spoken here of are the manipulative and deceitful ways his that some people use..  ii. In Ephesians 6, Paul lists the kind of spiritual weapons he did use: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.  To rely on these weapons took faith in God instead of carnal methods.  But truly, these weapons are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds! 2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; Carnal, worldly ways of thinking and doing are against the mind and methods of God.  They want to debate God, saying they have a better way.  They exalt themselves against the knowledge of God.  They think of themselves as smarter, more sophisticated, more effective, more powerful than God's ways.  Carnal, worldly minds think they know more than God does! Actually, Paul continues with this "warfare" metaphor down through verse 6. The warfare is the battle against false doctrine. Paul's weapon is God's Word and the power of God. The strongholds represent false doctrine. These strongholds (false doctrine) are fed by conventional anti-God wisdom. The war is won when there is obedience to Christ and God's Word. Finally, disobedience to God's Word is avenged by the power of God's Word.  Paul wants them to realize that persuasive speaking does not equal sound doctrine. When the carnal mind reasons without direction from the Holy Spirit, false doctrine often is the result - especially when it is accompanied by persuasive speech. Sound doctrine brings "into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." In other words, sound doctrine doesn't wander out of the bounds of the clear teaching of God's Word. We are also reminded of Hebrews 4:12 , "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." So...how does a Believer walk in victory day after day? As we embrace the Word of God as our weapon under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, daily victory is the norm - not the exception. , "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." So...how does a Believer walk in victory day after day? As we embrace the Word of God as our weapon under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, daily victory is the norm - not the exception. 2 Corinthians 10:6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. What happens when a Christian fails to bring every thought into captivity? What happens when we allow a hateful thought and murder someone in our mind? What happens when we don't obey Christ in our thoughts and deeds? God is please by faith, and faith is obeying the Words of God. The Bible commands us to revenge all disobedience. We ought to get upset with ourselves when we fail. Notice that the Bible says if we judge ourselves, then we will not be judged by God. 1st Corinthians 11:30-31, “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 1Co:11:31: For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”  1st Corinthians 11:32, “But when we are judged, we are CHASTENED of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” The word chastened means to discipline. Hebrews 12:6-8 teaches that God the Father scourges and chastens His children. The word “scourge” in Hebrews 12:6 means “to beat with a stick, to whip.” Christians can be chastised and disciplined for their own good. May we all purpose in our heart to bring every thought into captivity, unto obedience to Jesus Christ. But when we do mess up , let us revenge that disobedience by chastising ourselves. It is important that we pray daily for the Lord to “deliver us from evil” as Jesus taught us to do. . By abiding in the Scriptures and praying, God has promises in James 4:6 to give His grace unto the humble.. 2 Corinthians 10:7 Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's. - This is addressed evidently to the members of the church, and with reference to the claims which had been set up by the false teachers. There can be no doubt that they valued themselves based on their external advantages, and laid claim to special honor in the work of the ministry, because they were superior in personal appearance, in rank, manners, what ever it was that they thought made them look good, or look big. God doesn’t go by that. He goes by our heart of hearts. He is the discerning of the mind and heart Think of David. The prophet thought it would be one of his big brothers that God would of chose to be King by looking on his outward appearance. It looks good to it must be good so to speak. Its not the head knowledge that means any thing. It is the heart knowledge that matters.. Its not the schooling or how smart a person thinks they are. It is the one that walks in and lives in Christ. The one that bares much fruit of the Spirit of God. It is the humble and the meek. The ones that God has sent. NOT the ones that man has chosen by the way the look on the out side. The heart is what matters. The heart that is sold out to Christ Jesus Amein 1 Samuel 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered

1 Peter 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; I think we see only the part that says arm yourselves likewise with the same mind. I find the word armed very interesting.. to be armed means to be equipped; weaponed. Another weapon God has given us if you will.. To be in the same mind, to be with one another is unity and to walk gather in agreement. This is a powerful weapon in and of itself. Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed? That mind being Christ. Being in one accord for we know that two cannot walk together unless they agree. This is the Spirit of unity, the Holy Spirit. He is the One that brings this kind of same mind. This is powerful in and of its self. It’s a good word. What catches my eye is this part of the scripture…. For he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin… Those who willingly suffer for the cause of Christ Jesus find it easier to resist sin and to follow Gods will. These have united themselves with Christ Jesus and shared His cross.. As a result the pull of sin is made insignificant and the will of God is what has this group of people’s attention. That is their focus. And it isn’t only for a few but for all of Gods children. Arm Yourself for the Purpose of Suffering The word from the Lord for us this morning is: Arm yourselves with the purpose to suffer for righteousness' sake if that should be God's will. The pieces in this armor that support us and encourage us and sustain us are: Piece #1: Christ, the one we love and follow suffered. Piece #2: When we suffer, we make a clean break with sin. Piece #3: Any amount of past sinning is sufficient. It's enough. Piece #4: The adversaries will be brought to justice. Piece #5: We who embrace the gospel will triumph over death. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 1 Peter 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. This is a spiritual principle and will work in all of our life’s.. Obeying God even when it means suffering and be ridiculed or being rejected, or being misunderstood. Believe it or not when this happens we become stronger. It strengthens us morally and spiritually. And we will receive a greater grace. It is normal for a person to want to avoid pain. Followers of Christ however, should be willing and prepared to do so. Pain and danger reveal our true values. Any one who suffers for doing good and still faithfully obeys in spirit of suffering has made a clean break with sin. This rejection can come from ones we love, our family and close friends. We never know when it can happen but we are told not be act like it is something that can not happen. Jesus told us this would happen many times over. . Rather than be concerned when we do suffer persecution, we should be concerned if wearen't suffering some persecution. Although we aren't persecuted nearly as much in our country as Christians are in other places in the world, anyone who takes a stand for Christ anywhere will be talked about and hated by others. We should expect that. Jesus said, "Woe to you when all men speak well of you" (Luke 6:26,) 1 Peter 4:3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Some of us change so radically at conversion. That we may experience contempt from old friends. They may scorn us. I have seen this between Christians and it should not be this way. Many times people are put in our life for a season. And it is God that calls the seasons in our life. I have had people put in to my life and people taken out of my life. I trust God in all of this. He loves us and wants us to have only the best. I have learned threw persecution . I have grown due to it. I suffered things I never would of dream of. And that is ok. When we suffer we are pulling close to God. I am talking about suffering for standing for God, not because we want to do something wrong according to the word of God. We are not the main target of the world's hatred. It is actually God Himself. We are just being caught in the crossfire. We need to respond to it and not react. When we react we are acting out of our emoitions, When we respond we are thinking about what we are saying or not saying. There is a time to speak and a time to be silent. God will talk care fo those that speak evil of us. And how he does it will be what is best in that given sitionation. Amein The amazing thing is that it is often people who claim to be Christians who persecute those who are born again. Jesus said, "The time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing God a service" (John 16:2). These kinds of "Christians," however, aren't really saved, as proven by their hatred for true believers. John wrote, "If someone says, ‘I love God,' but hates another Christian, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we have not seen?" (1 John 4:20). John 16:1-4 “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues [today it might be from churches]; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them."   John 17:14-18 "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one."   Galatians 5:11 "And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased." 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 10-14 "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…. And from such people turn away!         "…all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned ... Matthew 10:21-22 "Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake." 1 Peter 4:4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: He tells us not to think it is strange, when we dont do the things they are doing, that the turn and speak evil of us. This is going to happen.They slander you. They make you look the fool. Better to embrace that like Jesus did, if it is God's will, than to choose sin. The time that you've spent sinning is sufficient. It's enough. LIght and darkness do not mix. It can not. and the light of Jesus , those of the world hate. Why? Because it exposes their sin. It convicts them. This is why we can not mix with the world. Suffering can take many forms. By choosing to obey the Lord Jesus Christ, we are setting ourselves at odds with the world. Galatians 1:10 says, "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ" (NASB). By closely adhering to the teachings of the Bible, we set ourselves up for rejection, mockery, loneliness, or betrayal. Often, the cruelest persecution comes from those who consider themselves spiritual but have defined God according to their own ideas. If we choose to take a stand for righteousness and biblical truth, we ensure that we will be misunderstood, mocked, or worse. We need to keep in mind that no threat of suffering deterred the apostles from preaching Christ. In fact, Paul said that losing everything was worth it "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death" Jesus said the path that leads to life is difficult (Matthew 7:14 For the gate is narrow and hthe way is hard that leads to life, and ithose who find it are few. This is a bible truth here. Jesus said it. He desires for all to be saved but only a few will find the gate. That gate is Jesus. He is the way the truth and the life.He is the gate , He is that door. And when we find that gate, there is the path, that one that seems hard. It is hard if you are not in love with Jesus. We dont walk this narrow path alone. He is walking with us and threw us all. He is the one that gives us the power, no matter where we are lead by him, to walk it and live the life He desires for us to live. Jesus said if we deny him before men, He will deny us before His Father in heaven (Matthew 10:33;Matthew 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Luke 12:9)Luke 12:9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. . There are many subtle ways to deny Christ. If our actions, words, lifestyle, or entertainment choices do not reflect His will, we are denying Christ. If we claim to know Him but live as though we didn't, we are denying Christ ,Many people choose those forms of denying Christ because they do not want to suffer for Him. I want to add this. I hope you take heed. Every time a person comes to the knowing fact, and recieves their athorty in Christ Jesus. One that is taking a stand and walking in that athority. There is going to be all kinds of war fare break out because that person just become a theat to the Enemey of our soul. Its going to get hard. The more we grow in Him the stronger He becomes in us. And the stronger He is in us, the harder the warfare becomes. The enemy wants you to fall away to walk off from the calling you have in your life. He will make life extreamly hard. And with out Christ we couldnt do it.