Philippians - Week Four: Mind Match

Introduction

Illustration and Intro Here

Well good morning - once again we want to welcome you this morning. We are in the middle of a message series called “A Summer in Philippi,” so we are talking through this letter called Philippians, which was written by the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit - which means it is God’s Word - to the early church in Philippi.

And if you remember the last message we had out of Philippians, preached by Dan Russell, you’ll remember that Paul emphasized the importance of striving together for the sake of the Gospel, even in the face of extreme suffering and persecution. Paul makes it clear in 1:28 that believers are not to be frightened in any way by our opponents, and in not being frightened by our opponents who may threaten us with great suffering, we demonstrate to them that we belong to God along with our brothers and sisters who stand with us.

He then moves into what is considered by many to be one of the most profound passages of Scripture, chapter 2, verses 1-11. Let’s read it together this morning. Would you stand with me?

Philippians 2:1–11 CSB

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Let’s pray.

I want to tell you a story - back when I was about halfway through seminary, I needed to head over to the actual, physical seminary in Pennsylvania to take a two-week intensive course - every other class I completed online, except for this one. The way the scheduling worked out, this was the only opportunity to take this course. Those of you who have known me for a while know that I drive a 2003 Ford Focus Wagon around - there’s a picture of it. We bought this about 7-8 years ago, I think. It hasn’t been without its occasional problems, but all-in-all, its been a pretty good car for us.

So I completed my course in Pennsylvania, and I got home from the airport, and went to one of our sister churches that is very close to the Boise Airport. That’s where I parked my car. I got there and walked up to my car - I unlocked the back hatch and pulled. It immediately popped up and stayed open on its own. Now - that may not seem significant to you, but the supports on that back hatch had failed a long time ago and if I wanted that hatch to stay open, I had to prop a piece of galvanized pipe in to keep it open. I thought - “that’s weird! The temperature must be just right or the humidity is optimum to allow those to work right now!”

But then, I noticed that my taillight, which had been cracked and broken for a long time looked shiny and brand new. At this point, I knew something was up. I unlocked the front door, opened it, and saw that my car was the cleanest it had ever been. Someone had taken the time to clean and detail the car. Then, I noticed that the passenger side mirror which had been secured to the car with duct tape had also been completely replaced with a new mirror.

By now, you’ve probably figured out that someone took the time to fix my car. My buddy John, who is probably one of the most selfless people I’ve known in life, grabbed my car while I was gone and put a lot of time and effort into getting it fixed. Now, I also want you to understand that over the years John has also helped me to replace the clutch not once, but twice, we’ve replaced the engine mounts, the power steering pump, the alternator, and the list goes on.

My point here is that John certainly had a lot of other things he could have been doing. He has a family of his own, and job of his own, and a church of his own. Instead, though, he counted me more important than himself, and he looked out not only for his own interests, but also for my interests. And I can tell you that John doesn’t just do this with me. He is amazingly generous with his time and resources - and I know that he does it because he feels God has called him to do so.

This idea of humility and service to others - this idea of counting others as more important than ourselves - we find the perfect example of this in Jesus. And in this passage of Philippians we get a picture of Jesus that does not think about only himself, who does not pursue his own glory alone, but puts others first and undergoes extreme shame to do so.

But we aren’t just given a picture of Jesus without a call to action. In fact, Paul leads with the action that we are to take in verses 1-4, and as we look at these again, we will see this truth come to light, the truth that we are to pursue together, collectively, as a local gathering of brothers and sisters in Christ:

When we are all working together to MATCH the MIND of Christ, JOY is at its peak.

So let’s walk through verses 1-4 again, and remember that these weren’t just written to one person, they were written to the Philippian church as a collective whole and the words are given to challenge us to change and become more like Christ. Verse 1:

Philippians 2:1 CSB

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,

Pause for a minute - Paul isn’t saying “there might be these things...” Its not that kind of “if.” He’s not saying if you find these things in Christ, but rather that you find these things in Christ, so what should follow is what you do in verses 2-4. Another way to translate this - and some of your translations may say this - is “since.” So “since there is encouragement in Christ, since there is consolation of love, since there is fellowship with the Spirit, since there is affection and mercy...”

Philippians 2:2 CSB

make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

So if you look at verses 1 and two, you see Paul telling us that since we are “in Christ,” we are to “think the same way,” and he doesn’t mean that we are to all have the exact same personalities and same interests, but he is calling us to show the same benefits we experience in Christ to one another. So look at this...

Since you have consolation of love in Christ, match it by loving one another.

Since you have fellowship with the Spirit because of Christ, match it by being unified in that same Spirit.

Since you have affection and mercy because Christ, match it by intense, purposeful focus towards the same End.

What is the same end or that ultimate purpose? Here it is in verses 3 and 4:

Philippians 2:3–4 ESV

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.

We must reject putting ourselves first and embrace putting others first.

Have you heard in this day and age that we need to love ourselves first so that we can begin to love others? Have you heard the notion that you need to watch out for yourself first and then look to the interests of others? Think about yourself - #1? We live in a world that is profoundly self-centered and it is the antithesis of what it means to be a Christ-follower.

If we are united “in Christ” - if our eyes have been opened to what He has done for us - that He gave His life for you out of love for you on the cross fro you while you were still a sinner and were rejecting Him - and if He opened your eyes and in that moment you realized all at once the depth of your sin, the magnificence of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and the amazing love of God as He pours out His spirit into your heart - then Paul says (and I say) make joy complete by being of that same mind. Be like Christ and do it together, united, striving side-by-side one another. Reject the notion that you come first, but put others first. Paul makes this clear in verse 2, when he says “…make my joy complete by thinking the same way.”

When we are all working together to MATCH the MIND of Christ, JOY is at its peak.

Then Paul says again in verse 5

Philippians 2:5 CSB

Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,

So Paul not only says that we should show the same benefits that we have received from God in Christ to one another, but He then tells us to adopt the same mindset and attitude as Jesus Himself. What is His mindset and attitude? Let’s take a look

Philippians 2:5–6 CSB

Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited.

So Jesus did not hold onto position, but freely gave up his position. Let me ask you a question - where do you find your self-worth? Is it in your position or title? We are in a world that places great worth on fame, position, and titles. But Jesus didn’t - He was in the form of God, but as we are about to read He gave something of Himself and His position for a time because position in and of itself should not and really does not define your value or worth, and because it is even greater to love selflessly than to seize, grasp, or hold onto position.

And so Paul tells us that we are to match the same mindset and attitude of Jesus - don’t grasp for and hold onto position.

And he says that instead of doing that - instead of holding onto position and influence - do this:

Philippians 2:7 CSB

Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man,

So as we hold our position loosely, we are to serve others and he points to Jesus as the example of what it means to serve. This isn’t anything new, by the way. Here are a couple of things Jesus said about Himself:

Mark 10:45 CSB

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

John 13:13–15 CSB

You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are speaking rightly, since that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you.

Have you ever washed someone’s feet before? I seriously talked with Ryan about going through a foot-washing ceremony as a way to get this point across. If you’re like, “No way is anyone touching my feet and absolutely NO WAY am I touching that person’s feet...” don’t worry. We aren’t going to do that. But I do want you to stop and picture for a minute this scene:

Queen Elizabeth of England walks through the door and people are in awe. They are following her, watching her every movement, hanging on every word. People are pulling out their phones and taking pictures, they are whispering to one another - “Hey - what’s the proper decorum? How do I act when royalty is in the room?” You find yourself a bit nervous that you might say or do the wrong thing and offend her. But then, something amazing happens. She walks over, fills a basin with water, grabs a rag, and asks you to sit down on a chair. She gets down on her hands and her knees and removes your shoes, removes your socks, she wets the cloth and begins washing your right foot. When she is done with your right foot, she does the same with your left.

Now, a couple things might be going through your mind. But I’m willing to bet one of the things you are thinking is “surely someone so important shouldn’t wash my feet.” Listen to me - the God of the Universe - the One who made you and me and everything we can see - served in one of the most humble ways. He got down on his hands and his knees and washed the feet of his disciples. He served and he served and served. But not only that - look what else He did:

Philippians 2:7–8 CSB

Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.

Not only did He live His position to come to earth to serve God and serve us, but He also underwent shameful torture and execution. This was considered the worst way to die:

Because you were publicly recognized as a criminal and humiliated as you died. Imagine people calling you the scum of the earth and that’s the last thing you hear as the life slips out of you.

Because it was agonizingly slow

Because it was excruciatingly painful.

But something we should realize - Jesus did it willingly. He did it for me and He did it for you. It is in his very nature - it is in the character of God Himself - to love extravagantly and to put other’s needs above His own. That is the essence of humility - to think of other’s as more important and put their needs above our own needs, even if it comes at great cost to us. Christ did this, and Paul is telling us to match the mind of Jesus. Not only is it in His nature to humbly love and sacrifice, but Scripture talks about another incentive that God places before Jesus as He endures the cross. Let’s look at Hebrews 12:2:

Hebrews 12:2 CSB

keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Now, we could draw a parallel here and say that just as Christ received a reward, we also will receive a reward for faithfully following Him and adopting the mindset of Christ. And that is true - Scripture speaks elsewhere of a heavenly reward for being a good a faithful servant of God. It has no bearing on our eternal salvation, but if you study through the New Testament, you find a recurring theme of reward. However, I do not think that is what Paul is saying. The point at which Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians believers stops is at the end of verse 8. Then, he turns his attention to the uniqueness of Christ and what Christ has received as a result of his perfect humility, his perfect service, and his perfect obedience as He went to the cross for us. Here’s what Paul says:

Philippians 2:9–11 CSB

For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus Christ did not cling to position, but rather he gave of himself to serve. He became a servant, and in doing so he humbled himself and even placed himself under human authorities to the point of a shameful, excruciatingly painful, death. Because of this, God has highly exalted him. There are very few across the face of the earth that do not know the name of Jesus Christ. And Paul says that one day, every person will know that there is no other name that is higher than the name of Jesus. Jesus is unique in this way - and this is Paul’s way of saying that Jesus is the supreme example. He sets the standard of what it means to be humbly serve and sacrifice and for this He is highly exalted.

This example is profound. The fact that the God of the universe died for you should stir your thoughts and feelings to the point of wanting to do something. And that is Paul’s point in this entire passage - if you are “in Christ” and you receive the benefits of that, you have had your eyes opened to and experienced the profound implications of following Jesus. So now that have, follow His example and do likewise. And we aren’t meant to do this alone…remember that:

When we are all working together to MATCH the MIND of Christ, JOY is at its peak.

Imagine with me for a moment if we all practiced this - we all are rejecting the cultural norm of putting ourselves first. Rather, we put other’s needs above our own needs and we are willing to profoundly sacrifice for one another - demonstrating humility and love that is contrary to what we see in the world. Imagine if we were the embodiment of what Jesus said: “By this all will know that you are my disciples: if you have love for one another.” Imagine if, when we say we are followers Jesus, people know by looking at our OWN lives what Jesus was all about - humility, servanthood, and love at great cost. They would see us - HERE at Involve Church - living out the Gospel as Jesus called us to live out the Gospel.

Living it Out

Mind Match Jesus together - pray, study scripture, get together and ask the tough questions.

Small act of service, faithfully, for a long period of time. How could I show someone they are loved and valued by me and by God?

What’s one area of your life you’ve kept for yourself? Give it up in obedience to God.