Bill Johnson - Living With Your Mind Set on Eternity
Anytime the cross interrupts what you’re hungry for, you have the wrong appetite, and the Lord, in His mercy, shifts and changes those moments so that we take the passion we had for this and redirect it towards something eternal. I’ve got this passage for you in Philippians chapter 3; if you want to turn there, Philippians chapter 3, verse 18: «For many walk, of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross.» Alright, so what does it look like? What are the traits and characteristics of an enemy of the cross? Let me read this verse for you out of Corinthians; you know we’ll come back to this: «The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.» The word of the cross is avoided by countless numbers of people because of its absolute foolishness, and yet it is the power of God.
Can I say preaching the cross attracts the demonstration of power because it’s the authentic gospel? Do you understand with me that Revelation talks about the Lamb of God sitting on the throne? He’s also the Lion, but the Lamb, the sacrificial Lamb that went to the cross, will be the one seen as reigning over the throne for all eternity. Why? Because we never leave the significance and beauty of the cross. Verse 18 again: «For many walk, of whom I have told you often and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who set their mind on earthly things.» I want to go through these three things: God is their belly, their belly is their God, their mind is set on earthly things, and the second one is that their glory is their shame.
Let’s talk about these three for a moment. Whose God is their belly? What does that mean? It means they’re controlled and driven by natural appetite, not for eternal appetite. It’s very clear in Scripture—the thought processes of one who is being transformed by Christ. None of us have arrived; we’re all on the way. One of the evidences of the process of those who are being discipled in Christ is that we begin to think of eternity and live for that one thing. Whose God is their belly? The appetite, the natural appetites of life, controls that person’s life. If you’re born again, then you have a different nature. He says whose glory is in their shame; this is interesting because you and I were all designed to live in the actual manifest glory of God, the presence of God. «For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.» It was the design, the target. Every one of us is created seamlessly to interact with the glory of God; it’s the way we’re wired. Everything about us—personality, everything—all the stuff that’s not a part of Christ, obviously, is what gets discipled out of us. But we, in our heart of hearts, are designed to live in the glory, and this verse seems to imply there’s only one of two options: the glory or shame.
Shame is why Judas would point to waste; it’s because he had been stealing for three and a half years. Why would Jesus make Judas the treasurer? Some would say, «Well, it’s to expose him.» I’m not so sure. Jesus tends to promote us into positions and places where we have the opportunity to deal with our stuff. I’d like to suggest that He put Judas in that position so that, based on the environment he was in, he could finally deal with what he brought to the table when he said yes to follow Jesus. Not all promotions come because you earn them; oftentimes you get a grace promotion because He’s giving us an opportunity to deal with our stuff. Then the last phrase: «who set their mind on earthly things.» The cross, the lifestyle of the cross, is actually seen by how a person thinks.
This is not just a random reference: enemies of the cross whose mind is not set on the things of God—that’s not just a random phrase. We find the exact same concept in Matthew 16. When Jesus again previously mentioned the cross to His disciples and when He was talking to them about what He would suffer, Peter took Him aside and rebuked Him. Not a good plan; not a good idea to rebuke God. He takes Jesus aside and rebukes Him. Why? Because the cross made no sense to their appetite. The cross interrupted what they were hungering for, and anytime the cross interrupts what you’re hungry for, you have the wrong appetite. The Lord, in His mercy, shifts and changes those moments so that we take the passion we had for this and redirect it toward something eternal. So Peter rebukes Jesus, and Jesus says to him, «Get behind me, Satan.» Jesus was so affirming: «Get behind me, Satan.» No fluff talk in that conversation. «Get behind me, Satan.» And then He says this: «Because your mind is not set on the things of God; your mind is set on the things of man.»
So follow this reasoning: «Get behind me, Satan, because your mind is not set on the things of God.» What’s the issue of the cross here? Jesus brought up the cross, and Peter rebuked Him because it upset their plan. Then Jesus goes right to the mind; He goes right to the way of thinking. He says, «Your mind is set on the things of man, not the things of God.» «Get behind me, Satan; your mind is set on the things of man.» Humanity without Christ at the center is demonic in nature. It’s not a gray area; it’s black and white, and that’s the challenge of the cross. The cross makes everything black and white. So in Matthew 16, He says, «Get behind me, Satan; your mind is set on the things of man, not the things of God.» Here He describes those who are enemies of the cross as people who do not have their mind set on the things of God.
Let me put it this way: the cross is an endurance thing, right? I mean, day after day, you make decisions that are painful to make. What enables a person to endure the tough choices is a mind set on eternity, on the things of God. It keeps things in perspective. It’s what Jesus used, for the joy set before Him, to endure the cross. He kept something in front of Him that made this impossibility doable. This renewing of the mind is actually the expression of the effect of the cross on a person’s heart. The effect of the cross on a person’s mind is that, somehow, I think differently than everyone else—unreasonably so, compared to them. But actually, it’s the mind of Christ because it keeps eternity in perspective.
An interesting part of this journey we have is that our life is filled with blessings. But here’s— I don’t know; I can’t put myself in God’s position, but I try for a moment. Just be thankful I’m not because half—no, I was going to say some of you would be in trouble. Yes, I’m teasing. I’m trying to play. So think for a minute: you want so much to bless, but you know for some, the greater the blessing, the more they are trained to have their belly as their God. Did that make any sense to anybody? It’s like, I want favor and blessing to increase, but I can’t do it beyond what they have their mindset on in eternity. I can’t go beyond that because it will recalibrate their value system to pursue natural things above spiritual ones. That’s the challenge; it’s the challenge of blessing. It’s why Jesus, that cornerstone passage in Matthew 6:33, clarifies the entire storyline: «Seek first the kingdom, and all these things will be added.» Supreme value as number one—I’ll take care of the other stuff. But as soon as I shift my appetite from the kingdom to its benefits, I lose both.
I believe so much that the Lord wants to demonstrate His heart, His nature, as a perfect father. Most of the time—nine times out of ten, maybe 99 times out of 100—when I talk about this subject, I emphasize what God wants to do in and through us to reveal the nature of the Father to a community. I believe in that; I preach it, and I’ll probably do that next time. But right now, this is what gets you there. This is what gets us there: it’s the yes to God, no matter what. Let me put it this way: Jesus gives Himself to die on a cross knowing He can’t raise Himself. What is obedience? Obedience is putting myself in a position where I cannot fix the problem. I am so deep into it that only God can deliver, only God can rescue, only He can save me in this situation. It’s not an invitation for foolishness; it’s an invitation for obedience. It’s the cross.