Our scripture reading this afternoon is taken from the epistle to the Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2. We'll read the first 18 verses of this chapter. Our text this afternoon is found in verse 5. We hear the word of God in the letter to the Philippians chapter two. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom ye shine as lights in the world. holding forth the word of life, that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy and rejoice with you all. For the same cause also do ye joy and rejoice with me. Thus far we read from God's holy word, As I said, our text this afternoon is found in this passage, Philippians 2, verse 5, verse 5, where we read, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Beloved congregation, in our Lord Jesus Christ, already in the opening chapter, the apostle has expressed his great love and his strong attachment to this congregation at Philippi, which shares with him the same grace of Christ and fellowship in the gospel. And this was also his motivation for writing them in order that their love might abound yet more and more in knowledge and spiritual discernment according to verse nine of the first chapter. Even as his joy is in Christ and for him to live as Christ, even so he desires that the church of Jesus Christ shall share in that joy of Christ, living out of him, but also living unto him. And the Apostle Paul feels compelled to emphasize this because he realizes that although the congregation in Philippi still stands strong in the faith of Christ, there are great dangers. Already envyings, jealousies, bitterness, party strife are making their appearance which if allowed to develop unchecked could only result in spiritual damage and ruin in the church. They must be warned against this. And since these dangers are always present as long as the church remains in the midst of this sinful world and consists of sinful members, this warning applies to the church until Christ returns. It applies to us. And so the apostle begins this second chapter with the emphatic and deeply touching appeal in the opening verses. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love If any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. He pleads with us that we be of the same mind, motivated by the same love, having the same end in view, striving for the same things. He warns us against doing anything for selfish, carnal reasons or motivated by sinful pride. He urges that each may seek welfare of others, and thus the good of the Church of Christ. And he appeals to the fact that we possess the grace of Christ, as he emphasizes in that repeated if The point is clear, since Christ dwells in you by his spirit, since his love is the motivating principle in your lives, and since you share that love mutually in deep affection and concern for one another, be ye like-minded of one mind in the spirit. Or, very simply and to the point, As we have it in the words of our text, let that mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. And may this word of God be used through the work of the Spirit unto our spiritual unity and well-being as congregation. We consider our text together under the theme, the mind of Christ in us. We notice, first of all, the meaning, secondly, the possibility, and finally, the significance. Very deliberately and with good purpose, the apostle uses the expression, the mind of Christ And the idea of the word mind in our text can best be defined as the disposition of the soul of man. Our mind, as scripture speaks of it, is not simply the same as our intellect. Our intellect involves only our thinking, while the mind involves our will as well as our intellect. It determines our goals and ambitions, our plans and purposes, our seeking and our striving. It's the disposition of the soul which controls the channel in which we think and will and speak and act. In a word, it gives direction to our whole conscious life. And therefore, if the mind is good, our life and walk will be good. But if our mind is evil, our life and walk are bound to be evil. And so the Apostle Paul can say to us that the same mind must be in us, which was also in Christ Jesus. That is, we must be minded even as Christ was minded. So our attention is immediately focused on the mind of our Lord Jesus Christ. Both the personal name, Jesus, and his official title, Christ, used here in our text. He is Jesus, the promised Savior. As his name designates, he is himself Jehovah's salvation, the revelation of the God of our salvation, who has come to us in the person of the Son to save us from our sins. And his title designates his unique office, is the Christ. He is the anointed of God. He is God's office bearer, the great servant who shows forth the glory of God's name according to God's eternal purpose. And in that capacity of the servant of Jehovah, he is the head of the church, the firstborn among many brethren even the firstborn of all creation. Therefore, he serves in the threefold capacity of prophet, priest, and king for the sake of his church before the face of God. He is Christ Jesus. And as Christ Jesus, he had a very definite mind throughout the course of his earthly life and ministry. For it is especially and particularly to his earthly ministry that Paul is referring, as is clear from the following context, Christ had one disposition of heart and intellect, one mind which determined all his motives and desires, his plans and purposes, his thoughts and words and deeds. It gave a single direction to his whole life as long as he walked among us. Even as a child, and then as he took up his public ministry, as he spoke and taught, as he performed miracles, and even in all his suffering, as he laid down his life upon the cross, he was always governed with one mind, that's so evident in all of Christ's life and was so essential to his public ministry that our text makes special mention of it here. For as was the case with Christ, so it must be with us also as those who belong to him. But what precisely is that mind of Christ? It's obvious from the verses that follow our text that the mind of Christ was his deep awareness of being the servant of God and of the humility that was essential to his position as servant of Jehovah. In this extremely beautiful and significant passage, the Holy Spirit points out to us that Jesus was always aware of his calling to be the Christ. He never lost sight of that, not for a moment. He was determined that he should always maintain that calling in deepest humility, come what may, That was what governed and controlled all his conscious life and all his walk and activity as long as he was upon earth. So we read in verses six through eight, who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant. and was made in the likeness of man and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Notice we're told that Christ took upon him the form of a servant. And the idea is not that he merely adopted the outward appearance of a servant in the way he dressed or in his actions, but rather the idea is that he actually became a servant. His very form and essence were that. Christ did that at his birth already. As the passage points out, he was made in the likeness of man. He took our flesh and blood from the Virgin Mary. He came into this world as son of man, born out of Adam in the line of the covenant. He was like us in all the weakness of sinful flesh with but one thing excluded, namely, he had no sin. He not only assumed our human nature, but he was also found in the fashion of a man all his life. From his birth, lying in the manger as a baby, as he clung to his mother in utter dependence, as he grew up as a boy of that day, as he was hungry and ate and thirsty and drank, and as he grew weary and rested, he knew pain and sorrow. He experienced that this life is nothing but a continual death. But he did all this as God's servant, Christ Jesus. He was sent of God into our flesh to become like unto us in order that he might bear the burden of God's wrath against sin in perfect obedience in order to save us from our sins. He was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. For him, the way of obedience was the way of the cross. And he walked that way without faltering. He gave himself as a lamb to the slaughter. He bent his back to the smiters. He gave his cheeks to those that plucked out the hair. He bore the insults and mockery. He went down, down the ladder of suffering to its lowest point The bottom of hell always buried in obedience of mission, the wrath of God, until he had borne it away. In his deep humility, he was always the obedient servant. That mind was in him. And notice too, that he did this even while he was himself God. It's true, of course, that only as the Son of God could he bear the burden of eternal wrath against the sins of all whom the Father had given him and bear it away. But the point of our text is that all that time, while he humbled himself as the great servant of God, he was God himself. He existed in the very form of God. He possessed all the divine attributes of infinite glory. He was, even while he was in the flesh, the sovereign God. And how easy it would have been for him, from a natural point of view, to exert his sovereign power to his own personal advantage. Yet, he never did. He was the son the second person of the Holy Trinity who bore the likeness of the Father and was himself the radiation of the Father's glory, and yet that glory remained hidden behind the humility of the faithful servant. Understand it was exactly for this reason, through this deep way of his humiliation, God highly exalted him to the position of highest power and honor in the heavens. As the apostle points out in verses 9 through 11, wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. The glory that our Lord Jesus now possesses in heaven is the reward of God on his accomplished work in the flesh. The glory that he possesses forever and shares with us in the new creation is still the reward on his perfect obedience in deepest humiliation. And the praise will be unto God forever. But two things are emphasized for us in this connection. On the one hand, that Christ never, never rebelled. He was never disobedient. He never claimed to himself that which did not rightfully belong to him. That's the idea of the expression, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. We could more literally translate that expression as he did not deem the equality with God a thing to be grasped or stolen. Bear in mind, he is the servant of God called to devote himself to God with his whole being, and yet he is God himself. how easily, humanly speaking, he could have claimed that power and glory of God as his own to be used to his own advantage. Yet, he was the faithful servant who never as much as contemplated doing a thing like that. The very thought of perpetrating such a robbery was repugnant to him, and yet certainly he had been tempted to do that very thing many times. You children can remember that near the beginning of his public ministry, how Jesus was tempted. He'd been fasting in the wilderness and the devil urged him to take advantage of his divine power by changing stones into bread. Why should he, the son of God, suffer hunger? And then again, on that high tower, that pinnacle of the temple, the devil whispered the evil suggestion that Jesus could gain the attention and recognition of the people by casting himself down off that high tower before them. After all, he could command the angels to come to his rescue. Hadn't the psalmist spoken of that very thing? And finally, the deceiver had come with the horrific proposition that Jesus could attain all the kingdoms of the world for his own by simply bending the knee to God's adversary. But in each case, Jesus flatly refused. Later, the Jews offered to make him their earthly king. But again, he preferred to bring their hostility upon his own head rather than he should claim equality with God. Never once did he forget that he was servant. He bore the reproach of man. He became a stranger to his brethren, was an offense unto his mother's sons only because he would never show himself equal with God, his great glory would remain hidden, as it were, for a time. On the other hand, because that mind was in him, he made himself of no reputation. Literally, he emptied himself for God's sake. He put off all power, refused the praises of men. He maintained the lowly position of servant in deepest humility in all that he did. And no doubt the clearest demonstration of that humility was given to his disciples. At the Last Supper, when he girded himself, got down on his hands and knees and went around the room washing their feet. That seemed so entirely improper to Peter that with an offended voice he asked, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? And the necessity of this act was pointed out by Christ himself when he answered, if I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. that hit Peter like a ton of bricks, evidently. It made a lasting impression upon him so that years later, obviously, with that incident in mind, he wrote to the churches in his first epistle, be clothed with the slave's girdle of humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. As an example to us, as well as to fulfill his calling before God, Christ became the most humble servant in God's house. a nobody, as it were. For God's sake, he allowed himself to be taken by wicked men and falsely accused and unjustly condemned and punished with the shameful and accursed death of the cross. He gave himself unto death until he became, as it were, public enemy number one, the worst of criminals and outcast of God and of man. Always he maintained, I come to do thy will, O God, in the volume of the scriptures it is written concerning me. That, beloved, is the mind of Christ, the humble and faithful servant of God. And that's what our text is talking about when it says, let this mind be in you. which was also in Christ Jesus. Even as Christ was always aware of his position as servant in God's house, so we should be. Even as Christ wore the garb of humility befitting his office, so we should be girded about, dressed as it were in true humility. Even as he exercised humility in all that he did, so must we. The mind of Christ must also be in us. But how is this possible? According to the commonly accepted explanation of this passage, the Apostle Paul does nothing more than to hold Christ up as an example for us to follow. We must make the mind of Christ our own so that we are motivated in all of our lives even as he was. We must exercise humility over against God and over against each other even as Christ did, which implies that humility is simply a natural gift which everyone possesses in one measure or another. If only he wants to bring it into practice, it remains up to us to imitate Christ in our daily walk of life. Nevertheless, the teaching of scripture and the idea of our text is the very opposite. For the Apostle Paul proceeds from the basic assumption that no man is gifted with humility as he is by nature, but that we are all proud and selfish and covetous. When in the verses following our text, the apostle points out that Christ never considered equality with God a thing to be grasped. He's referring to that chief sin of which we all make ourselves guilty. By nature, man craves nothing more than equality with God. Our motivating sin is always that we would be as God. We want to be independent. We want to make our own decisions. We want to do as we please. That's what the apostle obviously wants to bring to our attention when he uses that expression. It's called to mind that the devil made himself guilty of that sin already at the dawn of history. The very first sin committed was the attempt to become equal with God. The devil was servant of God in the exalted position as chief of the angels, perhaps the highest of them all, and yet he was not satisfied with that lofty position. He became proud and his pride brought him to rebellion. He reached out for power and honor that belonged solely to God. He wanted to rob God of his glory by claiming that glory for himself with the result that he was ultimately cast from heaven with all the sinful angels that joined him in his rebellion. Presently entering paradise, Satan instilled in Eve's soul that same vain dream of becoming like God. He assured her that it would not hurt her to eat of that forbidden tree, no matter what God had said about that tree. In fact, if she would only think for herself, she would realize that the very name of that tree suggested that it be to her advantage to take and eat of it, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The devil wants her to believe that God knew that the day she would eat of that tree, she would become as God, knowing good and evil. And as a result, Adam and Eve were created. image of God as friend servants, rebelled against the Most High God with the sinful ambition to become like him. They considered equality with God a thing to be stolen. The consequence of this fall, as well we know, is that all of us are conceived and born in sin. the sin of proud rebellion. Man has become a thief before God. He claims for himself God's gifts and all of God's marvelous creation. He acts as if his life, his health, his strength, his possessions, his abilities and talents are all his own to do with them. Whatever he pleases, he considers his own. selfish interests, the only thing worth striving for in this world. He seeks the big I, me, myself, and I, craving riches, power, honor of men. He uses God's creation to sin, subjecting all to his own evil purposes. He would give account to no one, for all his actions. In a word, his mind is the mind of Satan in proud rebellion against the living God who alone is God. He would try to be God's equal. And that's exactly what we see and learn in history's light. Think back early on, Cain, how he chose his own sacrifice. I'll decide what I'll bring as my sacrifice. He would do something for God. He would bring the fruit of the ground rather than a proper sacrifice that involved the shedding of blood. And after he was cast out from the presence of God, he made himself a city in defiance to God. Think of Nimrod, the mighty hunter and his followers, how they proceeded to build the Tower of Babel to make a name for themselves. Think of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, even after he had been duly warned of God, how he boasted that he had built this great empire. Think of King Herod, how he accepted the praise and worship of men as if he were God. It's the wicked ambition. of all who would worship idols, all who would corrupt the truth of scripture with human philosophies, all who seek the treasures and pleasures of sin, the fame and praise of men, all of which will finally culminate in the man of sin. The Antichrist, the scripture says, will sit upon the throne and be worshiped by men as if he were God. Man would be as God, and therefore God's curse rests upon him. A fallen sinner has lost the right to be servant in God's house. He has no right to the mind of Christ and he is utterly incapable of exercising it. He is himself proud and selfish. He hates God and he hates his neighbor. He reveals that in all of his selfish ways, a mere example never would be sufficient. to change the mind and heart and thought of men to accept the mind of Christ. That example only arouses hatred and opposition that causes them to crucify the Christ daily. But bear in mind, beloved, that Paul is speaking to those who know the grace of Jesus Christ. As he stated so plainly in the opening chapter, Paul is confident that they share that grace with him in the fellowship of the gospel. The point of view of our text is exactly that Christ took on the form of a servant to deliver us from our sinful pride. He has merited for us the right to be restored in the image of God, even in the likeness of the image of Christ, in order that we may be servants of the Most High. He has sent his spirit into our hearts to deliver us from the dominion of sin and death in order that we should henceforth not live unto ourselves but unto him who died for us and rose again. We are given a rightful place in God's blessed fellowship, covenant fellowship. We are made sincerely willing and able to serve God in the office of believer, prophets, priests, and kings before his face. That applies to every true member of the Church of Christ. as the apostle so beautifully puts it in Ephesians 2 verse 10, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. All which should make us very humble and thankful. We confess together that We are not worthy of a place in God's church, the company of the saints. We're not fit for the position which we have been given and to which we've been called. It's only God's wondrous grace that has given us our place in the body of Christ. Also, as it's manifest here, And even as we seek to fulfill our calling, we realize that it is accomplished in weakness. And our best efforts are tainted with sin. We are in need of daily confession of sin, daily forgiveness from God. as well as bearing with one another in all our weaknesses. We must humbly admit that God is not dependent upon us in any way and that we can give him nothing. As far as we ourselves are concerned, we, as it were, only stand in the way with all of our imperfections. But the wonder of grace is that this cannot interfere with the work and purpose of the Lord, but he who called us is also able to accomplish his work through us. His strength is accomplished through our weakness. So the weakest means fulfill his will. We humbly acknowledge that our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth. Through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, our needs are supplied. And so it is that the apostle can also admonish us then. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Christ can be an example for us only because the Spirit of Christ dwells within us. His humility is the gift of God to us since his love has been shed abroad in our hearts. We love God only because he first loved us. We love one another only because we love God. And we can exercise that love and humility before God and over against each other only because the love of God abounds within us. And so we must heed this warning against our own selfish pride. In humility, we must ever bow before his word, the word of God. We must always subject all things to the rule, the authority of the scriptures. Let's take that very seriously, beloved. Because we're still inclined to pride, to promote ourself, our thinking, our opinion, our way. Thus may we live in the consciousness that together we are servants, servants of God, underservants of Jesus Christ. James has admonished us in his epistle that we should not be many masters or teachers, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation We must not in pride assume the position that we know it all, that all wisdom rests with us. Indeed, we may have more abilities or be far more gifted in some respects than someone else, but be not filled with pride or with jealousy that each make proper use of the gifts and talents he has received. And what does any of us have that we have not received? Jesus warns us, let no man call thee rabbi, for one is thy master, even Christ, and ye are brethren. It's necessary for us to Bear that in mind. We are always only disciples sitting at the feet of Jesus to be taught by him. That applies in our relationships with others, with each other. We must be willing to assume the servant's garb, to bend down and wash one another's feet, must serve one another for the good of Christ's church, must be able to forgive one another even as God in Christ has forgiven us. But on the other hand, we must be willing also to have our feet washed We must want to be forgiven by one another even as we seek forgiveness from above. Expressed positively, we must live out of the grace of Christ, recognizing his authority, his alone sitting at his feet to be taught of him Redeem it a privilege to be clothed with that same servant's garments that made him pleasing to God in order that we also may be accepted in God's sight as we are in Christ. We look to him for strength. We trust in his guidance in every circumstance of life. seeking to serve his purpose unto the glory of our God. We're called to do this in the unity of the Spirit. Even as we have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, even so we have one calling, one ambition, one goal, that together, as it were, many voices in one choir, harmonizing perfectly, bringing forth a melodious song of praise, we might together serve our God. The world around us may speak of teamwork, or cooperation, we emphasize the power of Christ working in each of us according to the eternal sovereign purpose of God. That's precisely the emphasis in these beautiful opening verses Verse two, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind. Let each esteem other better than themselves. Understand, beloved, this begins right at home. Having the mind of Christ means that husbands love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it. Husbands must rule in that giving, self-sacrificing love. And wives submit to their husbands as the church humbly strives to obey Christ. As parents, we thus train our children in the fear of the Lord. And as children and young people, we honor the authority of our parents and teachers and those in authority over us, obeying them for God's sake. And in the midst of the church, having the mind of Christ means that When one stumbles, one falls into a way of sin, we are there to help, to call to repentance, to kneel together at the cross. It means that we visit one another in our sicknesses and encourage one another in our trials and troubles. We comfort one another in our sorrows and instruct and guide one another in the way of godliness. We seek each other's eternal welfare as members of the body of Christ. We give of ourselves in the service of one another. In a word, be clothed with humility. for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Grace to the humble is our incentive. According to the plain implication of our text, we have the example of Christ himself, the very son of God in our flesh, yet he took on the form of a servant, deeply humbled himself faithfully walked in the way of obedience to the Father, even when it involved that accursed death of the cross. He refused to depart from that way of obedience, even when that way of escape from death and the way of earthly gain was offered him. He did that, beloved, for our sakes, in obedience to God. The more reason why We ought be willing and earnestly endeavor to crucify the flesh and walk the way of obedience, thankful obedience, when for us to live is Christ and to die is gain. For in addition, we have the grace of Christ in us. Not only may we serve God and one another, but we are also made willing and able by his Spirit. Christ dwells in us. He works his work through us. And finally, we have the incentive of that crown of life that awaits. Even as Christ has been highly exalted, has gone into glory, we are given to share that glory with him. Even as Christ was rewarded with a name which is above every name, his work in us is rewarded in that we shall also receive our own name from the Father. And we shall live forever with all the saints to the praise of his glory, for there every tongue shall praise him. each of us showing forth that praise in perfect unison and harmony with all the saints, confessing together in word and deed that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Amen. Our Father who art in heaven, we thank thee for thy word. Again, we pray, impress it upon our hearts and lives. Remove far from us our foolish pride, we pray. Fill us with the humility of Christ more and more that we may, in true gratitude, serve Thee and also serve one another. In the love of Christ, Forgive us then of our pride. May thy name receive the glory. For Jesus' sake, amen. We sing together Psalter number 403. 403. Notice that third stanza. No human might, no earthly pride delights the Lord above. In them that fear Him, He delights. In them that trust His love. We'll sing the three stanzas, all three, number 403. ♪ For he is soon to take me to the Lord ♪ ♪ His strength to lift me up ♪ ♪ His grace to lift me up ♪ ♪ His grace to lift me up ♪ ♪ The Lord is coming soon to take me to the Lord ♪ ♪ In every place we've been before ♪ ♪ Our home in Christ the Lord ♪ ♪ In every place we've been before ♪ ♪ Our home in Christ the Lord ♪ ♪ In every place we've been before ♪ ♪ Make my heart with sincere pride ♪ ♪ I am of the glory ♪ ♪ Shines a bright red glow ♪ ♪ It makes the world a better place ♪ ♪ We might support the cause ♪ ♪ We have a vision in our hearts ♪ ♪ We know it's possible ♪ ♪ For the land of the free and the home of the brave ♪ We will rise up. We will rise up. We will rise up. ♪ We have no fear ♪ ♪ No fear, no fear for you ♪ ♪ For all we do is right this way ♪ ♪ And all we do is right this way too ♪ ♪ And all we do is right this way too ♪ Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be and abide with you all. Amen.