2Timothy 1:7
Ruining A Sound Mind
I want to begin a short series of messages on Having A Sound Mind.
Mental illness is abounding today. In fact, everyone is at least a little
bit crazy in one way or another. That is just the result of sin. Sin has
left us so that we can not think straight. Compared to God’s standard for
our mind, we are all left mentally ill.
The best we can hope for is to have enough wisdom and understanding from God…
1. …to be able to recognize and serve God.
2. …and to be able to function in society.
There are three degrees of sanity (sound mind):
1. Incapable of functioning in society.
a. Being unable to function in society is actually what used to be called
IN-sanity.
b. That term was a bit ambiguous and was probably over-used.
c. Today, it is politically incorrect to call anyone insane.
2. Capable of function in society.
a. There are thousands of variations within this broad topic.
b. You might can function within society, but that doesn’t mean I want to
live near you.
c. This is what most would refer to as being sane, but being able to
function does not mean that you have no mental problems. Most of
us do.
d. Some people can move back and forth from being able to not being able
to function in society, and back again.
e. Most anyone can move out of this category and may never move into it
again.
3. Being wise enough to trust and at least try to serve God.
a. Time will prove that the greatest insanity is to reject Jesus!
b. The sad thing is that today the crazy folk are calling those who love
God the insane people.
c. The more we reject God, the less sound our minds are.
d. Study Romans 1 and notice the references to the mind, along with the
mind’s spiral down as God is rejected.
Listen carefully as I begin this message. I want to make some truths very
clear up front. These are my claims and disclaimers.
1. I am in no way an authority on mental illness.
2. I do not mean to say or imply at any time in this message that everyone
should or even can have a sound mind. God makes different people
differently.
3. I do not mean to say or imply at any time in this message all mental
illness is a direct result of sinning.
a. Mental illness is like physical illness.
(1) It can happen for a variety of reasons.
(a) The body must be kept in genetic balance or else mental
illness can occur.
(b) The body must be kept in neurological balance.
(c) The body must be kept in chemical balance.
(d) The body must be protected from shock and accidents.
(2) I am not a psychologist, sociologist, or physician and cannot
deal with any of those conditions.
b. The truth is the body is a very delicate instrument.
c. To consider the delicate balance necessary for the body to function
should cause every atheistic to believe in a Creator.
4. I do mean-and will plainly say-that with the right conditions, anyone could
have a mental illness.
5. I do mean-and will plainly say-that I do believe that much of mental
illness-just as physical illness-is a result of a sin.
I have many truths to share with you. Many of them are directly from the Bible.
Some are my own observations.
I. How does one ruin a sound mind?
A. By the way, tonight’s message assumes you ever had a sound mind.
1. The truth is that in order to get one, you probably have to have
some kind of training.
2. That will be another message.
B. How does a person go from having a sound mind to an unsound mind?
1. In a nutshell, it is wrong thinking.
2. I am told that a psychologist once said that we could close the
psychology wards down if we could teach ourselves how to be
accountable for our thinking.
C. Wrong think is primarily an exaggerated thinking in four areas:
1. Exaggerated thinking about fears. \\#2Tim 1:7\\
a. Mankind is afraid of everything.
(1) If he dies or lives.
(2) If he is poor or wealthy.
(3) He is in the house, he is afraid of what is outside.
If he is outside the house, he is afraid of what is
inside.
(4) If it is dark, he is afraid of the light.
If it is light, he is afraid of the dark.
b. Fear can control is in one of three ways: worry, panic,
paranoia.
c. This is not God’s plan for your life.
Ro 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but
ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
1Jo 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear:
because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
Jos 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not
afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee
whithersoever thou goest.
De 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them:
for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail
thee, nor forsake thee.
d. The way to overcome fear is to think of the worst thing that
can happen, then decide to trust God to have done right even
if it does.
(1) One of man’s worst fears is to die-cancer, plane crash,
even murder.
(a) So what if God lets that happen?
(b) If you are saved, you go to heaven.
(c) How bad is that?
(2) Well maybe I won’t die. Maybe I will just hurt or be
bed-ridden.
(a) So what if God lets that happen?
(b) He has promised that He will be with you, that He
will never leave you or forsake you.
(c) While there is no doubt that such a condition is not
desirable, could you not use that situation to
become better acquainted with God?
e. Whatever you fear is, look it straight in the eye, see what
God has promised you, then trust God!
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own
understanding.
Psalms 115:11 Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and
their shield.
2. Exaggerated irrational thinking.
a. Irrational thinking is when you follow the facts to a wrong
conclusion.
b. This week, a young college-age man, purchased a gun and opened
fire on a Congress woman and the crowd around her.
(1) There is no doubt that this man spend a lot of time
thinking about this act before he committed it.
(2) And there is little doubt that he felt it was the right
thing to do.
(3) The problem was his thinking was irrational!
c. Irrational thinking usually occurs when you only see one side
of a thing—typically, your side.
Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth
unto counsel is wise.
Proverbs 18:17 He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour
cometh and searcheth him.
Proverbs 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth
the hearts.
d. Irrational thinking comes from ignorance and false knowledge.
e. Some of the most harmful irrational thinkers are selfish
people.
(1) Selfish people are some of the most irrational people in
the world.
(2) Characteristics of selfish irrational thinkers are…
(a) foolishness,
(b) jealousy,
(c) anger and bitterness,
(d) vengeful
(e) unforgiving,
(f) short tempered,
(g) demanding.
f. The cure…
(1) Get into the Word of God to see God’s prospective.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Psalms 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against
thee.
(a) The Bible teaches us wisdom.
(b) Wisdom is seeing things the way God sees them.
(2) Get some godly counselors to check your thinking.
Proverbs 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of
counsellors there is safety.
3. Exaggerated confused thinking.
a. We are all a little bit confused but when we get into an
exaggerated state of confusion, we are not thinking straight.
b. God does not want us confused.
1Co 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all
churches of the saints.
Jas 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil
work.
c. Someone has said that a confused mind is born out of a
confused life.
(1) I think that is one possibility.
(2) If that is the case, parents need to teach their children
to organize their lives.
a. The goal is to organize your self, your house, your
life, and your mind.
b. Teach your children to be on time,
to get up,
to go to bed,
to do homework,
to do chores,
to organize and follow through.
c. Changes are that if we don’t teach them how to
organize their lives, they will never learn.
d. I also think that a confused life can be born out of a confused
mind.
(1) The cure is to expose yourself to truth.
(2) That means you need to expose yourself to the Word of God.
Psalms 37:31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
4. Exaggerated wicked thinking.
Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth
walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life
of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of
their heart:
a. The best wicked thinking can produce is a wicked life.
Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he
to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
b. The Bible clearly teaches us to separate ourselves from the
world.
2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,
saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
(1) Most have never asked why?
(2) The reason is because it is much easier to keep a mind
clean than it is to have to clean a dirty mind.
(3) Put another way, it is easier to keep a mind healthy than
to heal a sick mind.
(4) The goal in separating ourselves from the world is to keep
evil out of mind and thus out of our lives.
Think about some of the behaviors I have mentioned.
1. Trusting God.
2. Having and maintaining an organized life.
3. Seeking godly counsel.
4. Studying and hiding the Word of God in your heart.
5. Separating yourself from the world, externally and internally.
Just how determined are you to have a sound mind? If you want to think like God,
follow His counsels.
Let me close by saying we can control our minds by the power of Jesus Christ. God
has given us what is necessary to keep our minds on target, but we will find out
that the responsibility is ours.
You may think you are pretty sound mentally, but if you are not thinking the way
God thinks, you aren’t.
For the completion of this message, look at Repairing A Ruined Mind, 1Peter 1:13.
<Outline
Index> <Close Window>
