SermonHeavenly Thinking
An all-creatures Bible Message

Heavenly Thinking
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
17 July 2016
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Genesis 1:1-2
Genesis 18:1-10
Amos 8:1-14
1 Corinthians 2:16
Hebrews 13:2

Heavenly thinking is being able to view everything and every situation as God sees it.
 
This may seem hard to do, but if we are born in the Spirit of God, and have become His peacemaking children, then we should also be able to bring God’s heavenly will to earth as it is in heaven, and this allows us to be able to have heavenly thinking.
 
Unfortunately, we don’t always use this heavenly thinking, for we allow the ways of this corrupt world to distract us, but this doesn’t mean that we have lost our heavenly thinking; we have just covered it up.
 
Paul also confirms that we should have this heavenly thinking in 1 Corinthians 2:16…

16. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.
NASB

We also need to remember that Paul is writing to people who already have been born in the Spirit of God.
 
If we are utilizing our heavenly thinking, then we should be able to understand something about how God created this world and how the Bible was written and should be understood.
 
Note what we are told in Genesis 1:1-2…

1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

God created the heavens and the earth in the physical realm, which made it subject to all of the natural chaotic processes that take place in the universe, many of which we can see upon this earth, such as huge storms, earthquakes, and volcanoes.
 
However, in verse 2 we are told that God did something different when He created the earth.

2. And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
NASB

The formlessness and emptiness and darkness of the earth describes the chaotic nature of the creation of the heavens and the earth, but God had His Spirit moving over the surface of the earth, which the Bible doesn’t tell us happened with the remainder of the other heavenly bodies.
 
We believe that this was His hedge of protection that made it possible to create the Garden of Eden, where there was no death and where humans and animals lived in peace, as it is in the heavenly abode of God, unlike the physical universe which is full of chaos.
 
But when humans disobeyed God, evil and corruption was allowed to enter the peaceful garden and end the hedge of protection that God had established.
 
So, what does this have to do with our heavenly thinking?
 
It has everything to do with it, because it tells us that everything written in the Bible from Eden to heaven is about the corrupt earth and its people, and the way they thought and acted against the heavenly will of God.
 
Let’s take a look at Genesis 18:1-10, and utilize our heavenly thinking in our understanding of what is taking place.

1. The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day.
 
2. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

Are these three men different from the appearing of the Lord to Abraham?
 
Abraham seems to have recognized something special about these men.
 
Is this coming from his heavenly thinking, or is it somethings else, such as just being kind to strangers as is their custom?

3. He said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by.

If we are using our heavenly thinking process, we should recognize the fact that the passage says “lord” which is a singular word, but there were three men; is this intentional to give us insight into what is taking place?

4. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree.
 
5. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way — now that you have come to your servant."
"Very well," they answered, "do as you say."

So far, Abraham’s greeting and invitation could be anything, but we still wonder about the way Abraham greeted these men.
 
Did he recognize the Lord in the presence of one of the men?

6. So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three seahs of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread."

This still could be part of Abraham’s hospitality, but it takes some time to make and bake bread, even unleavened bread.

7. Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it.

Note carefully that Abraham is no longer using heavenly thinking; he is using his worldly thinking, for God wants us to live in peace with every other living being.
 
Abraham is taking the calf away from his or her mother and having her baby killed; there is absolutely no sign of having any empathy for this mother or her baby, which would be an integral part of heavenly thinking.

8. He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

They cooked the calf and served him or her flesh with his or her mother’s milk.
 
We hope we all see the utter lack of compassion and empathy for these living beings.
 
This is not what the Lord wants.
 
This is very far away from any form of heavenly thinking.

9. "Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him.
"There, in the tent," he said.
 
10. Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son." Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.
NIV

This is a strong indication that the Lord was one of these three men or He spoke through an angel, who was one of the three men, but He did not correct or even comment on Abraham’s behavior in killing the calf, or such words were left out of this passage, which is quite likely the case.
 
In this passage we also see further proof that the hedge of protection that the Holy Spirit had put around God’s creation has been removed and the world became corrupted, as Abraham’s killing proves.
 
We also wonder if this story could be the inspiration for the writer to the Hebrews, telling us in Hebrews 13:2…

2. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
NASB

We looked at this passage from Amos 8:1-14 a few years ago, but this time let’s look at it from the standpoint of heavenly thinking.

1. Thus the Lord GOD showed me, and behold, there was a basket of summer fruit.
 
2. And He said, "What do you see, Amos?" And I said, "A basket of summer fruit." Then the LORD said to me, "The end has come for My people Israel. I will spare them no longer.

God is telling Amos and the people that their lack of heavenly thinking and corrupt behavior has caused the Lord to remove whatever vestiges of protection He had placed around Israel and it was now going to be removed.

3. "The songs of the palace will turn to wailing in that day," declares the Lord GOD. "Many will be the corpses; in every place they will cast them forth in silence."

God is going to let the people live by the evil ways of this corrupted world that they so desire.

4. Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land,
 
5. saying,
"When will the new moon be over,
So that we may sell grain,
And the sabbath, that we may open the wheat market,
To make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger,
And to cheat with dishonest scales,
 
6. So as to buy the helpless for money
And the needy for a pair of sandals,
And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?" 

In these two verses we see the true intent of the people.
 
They pretend to follow the Law that was intended to lead the people out of the corruption they had made of the world and back to his heavenly thinking and will; instead they are only anxious to do more evil in the world.
 
And we believe that a lot of this is still going on in the world around us.

7. The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob,
"Indeed, I will never forget any of their deeds.

The Lord is extremely angry at the way human beings have corrupted His beautiful and peaceful creation.

8. "Because of this will not the land quake
And everyone who dwells in it mourn?
Indeed, all of it will rise up like the Nile,
And it will be tossed about,
And subside like the Nile of Egypt.
 
9. "And it will come about in that day," declares the Lord GOD,
"That I shall make the sun go down at noon
And make the earth dark in broad daylight.

God Himself is going to bring His righteous judgement upon the evil and corrupt people of this world.

10. "Then I shall turn your festivals into mourning
And all your songs into lamentation;
And I will bring sackcloth on everyone's loins
And baldness on every head.
And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son,
And the end of it will be like a bitter day.
 
11. "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord GOD,
"When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water,
But rather for hearing the words of the LORD.

God is so disgusted with the people’s hardness of heart and utter lack of heavenly thinking that He is even going to remove all of His word from the people, for they have absolutely no interest in God or His word.
 
And we need to remember that this is all part of the corrupted creation that we are charged with freeing from all forms of corruption.
 
What will be the effect upon the people, of God allowing the suffering of the corrupted earth, which is of their own making, to be upon their heads?

12. "And people will stagger from sea to sea,
And from the north even to the east;
They will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD,
But they will not find it.
 
13. "In that day the beautiful virgins
And the young men will faint from thirst.
 
14. "As for those who swear by the guilt of Samaria,
Who say, 'As your god lives, O Dan,'
And, 'As the way of Beersheba lives,'
They will fall and not rise again."
NASB

We believe that all the hardness of heart and indifference to the suffering of animals in the world is the reason that we have so much warring madness and other forms of violence.
 
If we really want peace, then we had better return to God with every part of our being, and seek His heavenly will and start really exercising our heavenly thinking.
 
And, a vital part of exercising our heavenly thinking is looking at our Bible with the Holy Spirit as our guide.
 
The Bible is basically written in two volumes; the first is very small and briefly involves the creation of Eden before the disobedience of Eve and Adam, and the descriptions of heaven where there is peace and no pain or death; the second volume involves this corrupt world, its history and God’s dealing directly or through His angels or prophets, in His effort to lead the people back to His heavenly will.
 
So, as peacemaking children of God, we need to see in every passage of the Bible the difference between the heavenly will of God, and the way God deals with the corruption, which includes the whole Law, and the wars, and the herding, killing, and eating of animals.
 
As Jesus said in Matthew 5:48, we are to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect, and pray for His heavenly will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).
 
If we do these things, we will see a harmony in the pages of our Bibles and that there are no discrepancies, for we are living in the heavenly will of God and utilizing our heavenly thinking.
 
Amen.

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