The Mind of Christ

Introduction

Christian Unity Through Personal Humility (1-4)

Christ’s Humility Brings Unity (5-11)

One of the main components of my role is to help us understand the Word of God in its context and to apply it to our lives and situations today.

One of the fears that I’ve heard expressed over the past week is, “Oh no, here we go again - unrest in the church.” Maybe it hasn’t been here, but you’ve had an experience at a church where there has been unrest, tension, strife.Few things bring it to the front more than when a staff member leaves.

The fear is that there is a potential for:

disunity

division

rumors

suspicion

mistrust

We have three options:

feed into it

ignore it and hope it goes away

confront it, hold it up to the Word of God, and make the necessary changes in our lives based on what we find.

(I’d like to submit that few churches will survive and no church will survive if we go with options 1 or 2)

These have been my questions over the past week:

How do we avoid situations of unrest and potential disunity?

How can we walk through situations of unrest in a way that honors Jesus and makes the church attractive to the world?

will give us the answer to these questions and will do so in the very context of unrest in a church body.

In addition, what we will find today in the passage will apply not only to the (this) church, but to our marriages, our families, literally ANY relationship.

First thing we need to recognize is that the church is not perfect - it’s filled with imperfect people.

“The church is perfect - then people show up”

THIS church is not perfect. If you are here today and not perfect you are in good company. If you are here today and you are perfect you are a liar and so then not perfect and in good company.

I am not perfect. I have weaknesses. I have blindspots. If I have not disappointed you yet, just wait. I will disappoint you at some time.

I’m not OK with it. Just like I am not OK with my imperfections as a husband, or a father, or a friend. When God reveals to me through His Word or a trusted believer an area of sin or an area where I am not like Christ, I make it my aim to confess, repent, and change.

Good news: perfection is not necessary for unity - humility is.

The second thing we need to be aware of as we look at the passage today is that those who need to hear this message the most are you and me.

disunity

division

rumors

While the church is never perfect because it is filled with imperfect people,

potential for disunity,

suspicion

mistrust

Our temptation and tendency is to apply this passage and message to someone other than ourselves. We’re definitely OK in this area, but we know someone who really should be listening to the message. (wife to the husband in the car: “I hope you were listening to the pastor today.”)

This is why you’ll find a piece of tinfoil in your worship guide. It’s not to wrap a small baked potato. It’s the most reflective item I could find to fit in the worship guide. You might want to place it in your Bible here in to remind you that:

Unity in the church - unity and peace in any relationship - begins with a Bible and Mirror.

Unity in the church (and any relationship of believers) is essential if we are going to 1) display Christ, 2) accomplish his mission.

Philippians 2:1–5 ESV

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

phil 2:1-

ILLUST - a tug-of-war spends a lot of energy but accomplishes very little.

I’m afraid many churches have the same problem. They spend a lot of thought, words, time, and energy in relational tugs-of-war and end up neither displaying Christ nor moving forward on his mission.

When this happens the world scoffs and Satan giggles.

So, how do we avoid these situations of potential disunity and how do we walk through them when they arise?

The Key is found in . In the verses building up to verse five, Paul makes his case for unity through humility, and in verses 6-11 he gives us the ultimate example of unity through humility.

Main idea of is verse 5:

Philippians 2:5 ESV

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

That’s it - The Mind of Christ.

There are two imperative verbs in the first eleven verses of chapter two:

One is when Paul calls on the church to complete his joy by being unified through humility, and the other is here when he calls the church to do so by having the mind of Christ.

and one is

The Body of Christ should have the Mind of Christ.

Philippians 2:6–11 ESV

who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

**So what is the Mind of Christ and how do we have it?

The problem with humility is that it is a trait we all seem to have in a static state.

Philippians 2:1

SO,

(Therefore,)

Philippians 1:27 ESV

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

There is a shift of a stand against external realities to a stand with internal unity.

Philippians 2:1–4 ESV

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Four Demands for Unity (1)

(expressed through the main nouns)

Because we are in Christ.

(Encouragement in Christ)

Since we belong to Christ we belong to each other. We have more in common with another believer with whom we are at odds than we are with our best friend who does not know Jesus.

Encouragement = paraklesis = come alongside to help

We will all be in one big church in heaven.

John 15:5 ESV

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Because of the love of God.

(Comfort from love)

We were made a part of the family of God through an unwarranted, selfless love (agape), what right do we have to show anything different?

Because of the community of the Spirit.

(Participation in the Spirit)

koinonia - We share in the Spirit. Not any one of us has all of the Spirit. We need each other to fully express the Spirit.

More than that, the

Neither you nor I corner the market on the Spirit. As we speak to others, we need to remember that the Spirit can speak through them if they are a believer. We share in the Spirit.

Because tender hearts and mercy are marks of a true believer.

(Affection and Sympathy)

Affection = ‘inward parts’ - guts.

and sympathy = pity, mercy

‘roots and fruits’ - affection is the seat and sympathy is reaching from the seat to make a change.

A true believer will not be cruel

Paul is essentially saying, “If these things are true (and they are). . .”

The Message of Philippians 2. Christian Unison

Paul saw unity as a by-product of the great truths on which the gospel rests, but he did not see it as coming about automatically or effortlessly. It is ‘natural’ in relation to the gospel, but it will not ‘come naturally’—only by effort, obedience and deliberate cultivation. For this reason, the truths of verse 1 lead into the exhortation of verse 2.

Four Descriptions of Unity (2)

‘Unity Checklist’

Being Likeminded

Being ‘likeminded’ does not mean we all think the same. It has more to do with internal unity than external uniformity.

If Christ is that which binds us, everything beyond the foundational aspects of our faith simply describe us.

Uniformity describes our outside, while unity is borne from within.

Sharing the Same Love

Some people in the church are ‘porcupine Christians’ - they have lots of good points but they are really hard to get close to. Cute from a distance, but you really not wanting to hug them. (If you can’t think of anyone like that - it’s probably you!)

We’re not called to like our brothers and sisters - we are called to love them - love them:

John 13:34 ESV

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

What’s the difference? When things are going well it is often hard to tell the difference between ‘like’ and ‘love.’ When difficulties arise in a relationship ‘like’ is removed and ‘love’ is revealed.

Displaying a United Spirit

sunpsuche - We share with our brothers and sisters at the soul level. If we compare are share at the deepest level of our faith we would likely find unity, when we move away from the center is when we find disunity.

Living for One Purpose

We share one mind - one purpose.

This is the second time Paul uses the word ‘mind.’ Humility requires our cognition not our reaction.

Humility may begin in the mind, but must move to the heart otherwise it will be an empty action and not a heart-filled attitude.

This is where I believe most churches falter. Most churchgoers are more focused on their preferences for church than they are the purpose of church.

ILLUST - treating church like a restaurant.

If we removed the possibility of preferences in the church, we would remove 90% or more of that which causes disunity in the church.

Two Destroyers of Unity (3a)

Selfish Ambition

The word ‘do’ is supplied in the English but is not there in the Greek. It is possible to infer the verb from the previous sentence which would mean the intention of the statement would be not simply at the level of action but at the level of thought.

Conceit

Whereas selfish ambition has more to do with a prideful direction, conceit is more about making prideful assessment.

‘vain glory’ = ‘empty glory’ = ‘delusion’

Basically it means to become so full of yourself you get stupid.

Two Defenders of Unity (3b-4)

As a counter to the two negative statements of what to avoid in order to avoid disunity, Paul will give us to positive items to incorporate in order to create unity - A lower view of self and a higher view of others.

Personal Humility

Ephesians 4:1–3 ESV

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Eph 4:

The problem with humility is that it is a trait we all seem to have in a static state.

The key to humility is to see ourselves as we really are. The only way to see ourselves the way we really are is to see ourselves the way God sees us. This gives us a view that is neither too high nor too low.

A right view of God gives us a right view of ourselves which gives us a right view of others.

“Unless our humility begins in a recognition of our creaturely dependence upon God and our true condition in his sight, it will only show itself to the world as humbug and the false self-depreciation of the Uriah Heep variety. True biblical humility was frowned upon in the ancient world as despicable because it was misunderstood as abject cringing before one’s fellow-men.” 

The more fully you long to see God, the more rightly you’ll see yourself in comparison, and the more truly you’ll see others in humility.

Focus on Others

Romans 12:10 ESV

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

‘Think of others more highly’ does not mean other’s are worth more than we. It means we do not make other’s character worthless. (I suspect, I imagine, etc)

Humility is the opposite of the sense of entitlement. Entitlement says, “Because of who I am I deserve.” 

Humility is the opposite of the sense of entitlement. Entitlement says, “Because of who I am I deserve.” 

Don’t you know how long I’ve been here, don’t you know my title is, don’t you know how much I give, don’t you know how much I serve? I am I would respect I deserve your service. 

When you act differently from what I believe I deserve, I get mad. 

Here’s the problem with entitlement, I have it. By default my natural inclination is a sense of entitlement that I am owed. Would you pray for me? Would you pray for me for humility?

The gospel destroys my sense of entitlement. I was owed hell. I was given heaven. 

The less we see humility in our lives, the more we need to hear the gospel. The less we see humility in our church, the more we need to preach the gospel. 

Entitlement says, “Because of who I am I deserve.” Humility says,”Because of who you are I will serve.”

What if we operated in our marriages this way? Parenting / church? 

How radical would that be in the church let alone the world?

One Ultimate Example of Humility (5-11)

Philippians 2:5–11 ESV

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Conclusion

Jesus is the only one to have the right to NOT be humbled. Yet he humbled himself enough to die for the ones who humiliated him.

Instead of defending himself he died for our sins.

The end goal of a humble attitude is an exalted Christ.

The world is watching. As Paul stated, the reason we foster humility is to accomplish the purpose of living a life worthy of the gospel.

Conclusion

(Think of God firstly)

Think of yourself rightly

If you don’t see yourself rightly you can’t love others truly

Think of others prayerfully

Think of Jesus finally