What God Has Given Us

II Timothy 1:7

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

I. God hasn't given us fear.

A. Daniel 3:16-18 - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would rather die than worship the false image.

B. Scriptures in the Psalms.

1. Ps. 3:6 - David wouldn't be afraid of 10,000 enemies.

2. Ps. 27:3 - David will not be afraid of the largest host against him.

3. Ps. 91:5 - David wouldn't be afraid of the dark, or the chance arrow.

4. Ps. 118:6 - If God is on our side, what can man do against us?

a. Romans 8:31 - If God be for us, who can be against us?

b. Matt. 10:27,28 - Fear not them that can kill the body, fear him that can kill both soul and body in hell.

C. The only way we won't have fear is by totally committing everything we have and everything we are to God.

1. If we gain something, it is because God intends we gain it.

2. If we lost something, it is because God intends we lose it.

II. God has given us Power. The word "power" is from the Greek Word "dunamis" from which we got the English word "dynamite." It is not in Plans and Programs, and Personalities.

A. The power that God gives isn't like the power Satan or the flesh gives. I may not "feel" like I have power - but that's the entire problem! Do I need "feelings" to have power, or do I need Jesus in order to have power?

1. It's not a power or ability you have to work yourself into.

2. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were given the power to overcome, and they did - not by the power or strength of the flesh.

3. I Kings 19:7,8 - Elijah went with the strength of God's meat for 40 days without eating or drinking.

4. Nehemiah 1 & 2 - Nehemiah prayed for the Jews and God gave him favor in the kings eyes and he received what God intended for him to receive.

B. Eph. 3:14-21 - When we pray, we are turning loose the forces of heaven, which work in a material world. God works His way, not our way.

1. Acts 2 - The Day of Pentecost came after 10 days of praying.

2. Acts 4:31 - When the early church prayed, the place was shaken, they were filled with the Holy Ghost and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

III. God has given us love. This is not the kind of love the world has. Men love each other because there is some mutual benefit, God loves those that don't love him.

A. I John 4:8, 16 - God is love.

1. John 17:26 - Jesus Christ has prayed to His Father that we would have the same kind of love that He has. And God will answer the prayer of His Son.

2. I Cor. 13:13 - Of all the spiritual gifts God has given, the greatest is love.

a. Love is also the gift that fewer people seek.

b. What love is and what is makes us do has been diluted to the point that it means softness and compromise.

3. Matt. 5:44 - We love our enemies because God loved us when we were His enemies.

4. Matt. 6:12-15 - We ask God to forgive us as we forgive those that trespass against us.

B. What the love of God makes us do.

1. I John 5:1-4

a. We love God, His Son, and all those that believe.

b. We keep his commandments and they are not grievous.

c. We overcome the world.

2. Rev. 2:4 - When a church leaves its first love, which is the love for God (Matt. 22:36), they are in danger of losing the right to be a church.

IV. God has given us a sound mind. A sound mind is "an admonishing or calling to a sound mind, self-control - restore one to his senses, to hold one to his duty, to exhort earnestly - to curb one's passions".

A. A sound mind is not a good brain. Therefore a person that is retarded can have a sound mind. A person who has an injured brain, can still have a sound mind. A person can have a good brain and still not have a sound mind.

1. Eph. 3:19 - We can know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. It is true that there are some concepts the mind can grasp that cannot be relayed to others because of a deficiency in the brain.

2. There are also some concepts that the mind can grasp that can be relayed to others even though the brain cannot understand them. An example is salvation. One saved person can tell another saved person how they were saved, and this is something that is perceived in the mind, not just in the brain. The brain can give an mental assent to the truth of the gospel (realize what the gospel is), but salvation is of the heart (spirit).

B. The mind is related to the brain as:

1. The piano (brain) is related to the pianist (mind). The mind chooses what the brain will think.

2. Some pianos are better than other pianos just like some pianists are better than other pianists. A really good pianists can make a mediocre piano sound pretty good, while a bad pianists can't make a really good piano sound good.

C. I think it can be readily said that people that do not understand spiritual things, do not have a sound mind! It makes no difference how much education they have, or how intelligent they are, what their I. Q. is. If they don't have Christ, they cannot have a sound mind!

1. The only way to get a sound mind is through the Word of God.

2. It is very obvious that one who doesn't have a sound mind cannot have control over their own passions. It is when Satan takes over in our minds that we lose control of our passions.

V. Types of minds:

A. Carnal mind.

1. This is a fleshly mind, which is at enmity with God.

2. II Cor. 4:4 - Satan has blinded the minds of them which believe not the gospel of Christ.

a) How does Satan blind the mind?

b) He blunts the mental discernment, he darkens the mind.

c) He gives you something else to think about when the gospel message is preached.

d) He knows that the mind can't really concentrate on two things at the same time. (We all have a "one track mind".)

3. Romans 8:5-8 - The carnal mind is enmity with God, and is headed toward death, and cannot hear.

4. Repentance is a change of mind, not a feeling sorry or being burdened down with sin. Acts 2:38.

B. Converted mind.

1. This is right after salvation, when the joy of salvation is still remembered, and the release from sin is ever most in our minds.

a) This time will be before Satan comes in, bringing his doubts and fears.

b) This time is before the cares of this world overtake us.

c) This time is before the necessities of this world take precedence of our time and thoughts.

2. I Cor. 2:16 - When we are saved, we have the mind of Christ.

3. Phil. 2:5 - Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.

4. This is not I. Q. or the brain of Christ, it is His way of thinking.

5. Mark 5:15 - The demon possessed man was in his right mind, sitting at the feet of Jesus.

C. Corrupted converted mind.

1. I Cor. 3:3-4. The Corinthians began to take their eyes off Christ, and to think of men more highly than they ought to. They began to put more trust in men than in God.

a) How does this work?

(1) Satan is subtil, with us, just like he was with Eve.

(2) He caused her to doubt God's Word.

(3) He caused her to deny God's Word.

(4) He substituted his own words.

(5) She believed Satan's lies.

b) The wicked birds of Satan come and steal God's word out of your mind. Matt. 13:4.

2. II Cor. 11:3 - Paul was concerned that the minds of the Corinthians would be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. The mind would return to a condition very similar to its carnal state.

3. Heb. 5:11-14 - These people had not grown and could not understand. They needed to be taught. They needed to understand with their minds, not their brains.

D. Conquered converted mind. This is taking your mind back from Satan.

1. Luke 22:32 - Jesus told Peter, "When thou art converted, strength the brethren." This is not salvation. But it takes place after salvation

2. Rom. 12:2 - We are transformed by the renewing of our minds.

3. The mind is not taken back by education, psychology, psychiatry, or positive thinking.

4. II Cor. 10:4,5 - God is able to pull down the strongholds Satan has made in our minds. Thinking is obedience.

5. Luke 15:17 - The "prodigal son" came to himself, realizing his father still had plenty.

E. The conquered, converted mind must be controlled.

1. Phil. 4:8 - Think on these things.

a) true

b) honest

c) just

d) pure

e) lovely

f) good report

g) virtue

h) praise

2. Titus 2:6 - Young men are to be sober minded.

3. Prov. 12:5 - The thoughts of the righteous are right, but the counsels of the wicked are deceit.