Having the Humble Mind of Christ

Intro

This is what’s known as the Christ Hymn. The passage of Philippians 2:5-11 has a poetic nature to it, and we’ll look at this hymn over the next two weeks. Thanks to ____ for reading it this week. The same reading will be read next week as well. Verse 5 serves as the intro, and 6-11 make up the hymn. The first section shows us the downward path of humility that our Lord Jesus took. The second section shows the great exaltation Jesus experienced after His humiliation. This week we look at Jesus’ path of humility.

Step Down the Path of Humility

You ever think about the fact that we’re supposed to be humble as Christians? And I think we all want to be humble, at least on paper. But often times when we think of becoming humble, we tend to separate humility from something… Namely, humiliation. Everybody wants to be humble, but ain’t nobody wants to be humiliated. Be careful when you pray to the Lord for humility. Sometimes He has to humiliate us for us to get the message.

But typically, humiliation comes to those who are unwilling to look in the mirror and take stock of their pride. Let’s take a look at Jesus’ path down the road of humility. And as we do, I think one of the things that we need to notice about Jesus’ path of humility versus the fall of someone who may be really proud is this: Jesus chose to walk down the path of humility.

Philippians 2:5–8 (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.

Start with Christ’s lofty position… “Though He was in the form of God…”

Christ started at the tip top of everything. Above all creation. He is God. He is the Supreme ruler of all things. What was His response to that stature?

Did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped… So! He emptied Himself. But what did He empty Himself of? Everything. He became something other than God. He became human. And not just any human. A servant. This is to say that Jesus entered into humanity on the lowest rung of society.

And then, to top it all off, Jesus chose to be obedient, even in His death. Do you see what that means? It means that His life was not taken from Him, much to the Romans’ dismay… It means that He gave it up, willingly, for a purpose.

What I want to do at this point is put a microscope on these verses, see what’s going on, and how we can be obedient to the example of Christ.

The first application is to Loosen Your Grip…

Loosen Your Grip

Philippians 2:6–7 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.

*Grasp* - Laid hold of. Kept. Utilized for oneself.

Jesus was in every aspect holy and above the earth. He had a royal birthright. And yet He gave it up for us. As our ultimate example, we too should seek to sacrifice what we could have for the sake of others, both lost and found. He chose not to grasp that. He had power, and he laid it aside.

There are many today who would say contradictory things about Jesus. They would say things like Jesus was just a good example. He came so that we may know how to live. Or Jesus was a great man. Or Jesus’ death came too soon, and that His death wasn’t for our sin, but rather the simple result of the oppression of the religious leaders of His day.

Adam Vs. Jesus Illustration

Heard a preacher this week… Power is intoxicating. Over and over in the Bible, there are examples, time and again, of evil people using their power to come against the will of God. In Joseph, we see his brothers use their power to convince their father that Joseph is dead, and in the meantime, they sent him off to Egypt. In that same story of Joseph, you have Potiphar’s wife, who landed Joseph in prison. Jeremiah was persecuted by the religious leaders who had power in his day. Jesus was crucified by people who had the power to do so to Him under the Law. The people of Philippi used their power to throw Paul in prison even though it was against the Law. The Bible shows us over and over again: Use your power to serve others, not lord over others.

The example of Jesus shows us that the benefits of power, status, wealth, whatever, is to be submitted to the Lord God to hear what He would have us do with it.

“I’ve blown money on junk before that I’ve regretted. I’ve never regretted tithing or being generous with money, Never once missed what I’ve given away.” -Mac Brunson

I think this runs so countercultural to us, folks. I really believe that for us to be sold-out, solid Christ-followers, there’s a lot we have to change about our habits and behaviors regarding our possessions and our status and our power to follow Jesus the way He intended.

Matthew 19:24 (ESV)

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”

Here’s a key question that can help us discern what our next steps are in our relationship to these things.

Who are my possessions for, myself or God?

Put it another way… Do your possessions belong to you? Or are you a steward of what you own? A friend of mine once put it this way: “Everything I own is for the kingdom. I hold it all with an open hand. If you need my truck, go ahead and borrow it. If I can minister to you through what I own, please, take what I have.”

It’s these kinds of attitudes that help us loosen our grip on this world and take hold of what’s ours in Heaven.

The other aspect of this that we need to lay out is how our status affects how we interact with one another. What do we believe about our own wants, desires, and opinions about key decisions? Do you believe your opinion is the right opinion? Or are you willing to lay your opinion aside for the good of the body? You know, here’s the thing, in Baptist churches, we take votes to determine what the will of God for our church is. We believe that the Lord speaks to each believer, and therefore, each believer has a voice in the direction of the church. I live my life that way, I seek to lead our church that way in all things that affect the church and don’t require a certain level of discretion.

So the question is, when decisions are made by the body, and maybe you don’t agree with that decision, but it’s clearly not a matter of being biblical or not… Do you get bitter about that decision, or do you trust that the Lord has spoken through the congregation? As believers, we must trust that God is at work through His people. Our unity is more important than any one of our opinions. So be humble about your opinions. Express them, but be comfortable letting them die, too.

It’s really hard to have big disagreements when everyone is trying to outdo one another’s humility.

These are things I tell you generally for our church health. We’ve got a good spirit here at our church, and I love it. But we need these reminders once in a while.

Or, hey, what about work? How can we loosen our grasp of what we believe we deserve in terms of our jobs? Do you trust the Lord with your career? Or do you believe that you have to keep a death grip on everything you’ve been given? Unwilling to see God open a window, or even to take your job in His direction? I know COVID threw a lot of people’s work for a loop. You probably know what I’m talking about here!

And it really comes down to what Jesus showed us in His life, as described in V. 8.

He did not count His life as His own.

Count Your Life Not Your Own

Philippians 2:8 (ESV)

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

His downward path of humility continued… He chose the cross. And He chose the cross for you and for me. Because of two reasons… Love for His people, and love for His Father. This was God’s A-1 Master plan to make all things in Heaven and across the universe RIGHT. Why? Because the world had broken. You don’t have to look far to see how broken our world is. Whether you are male or female; black, brown, or white; democrat or republican; married or unmarried; no matter your identity or outlook on life, no one can escape the plain and simple truth that our world is broken.

And Jesus, who is God, had every right to just write this world off and start afresh. But our God is gracious. And He loves us, even in our broken states. Why was He obedient to the Father even in choosing death? Because He loves you. Every last bit of you. Because God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

This, the example of Jesus, should also guide us as believers. Our obedience to the Father shows the world that we see eternal life as vastly more important that the life we live on this earth. Should the Lord call for your life, how would you respond? Should the Lord call for your livelihood, how would you respond? Should the Lord call you to pack up and move your family to a foreign land to share the Gospel with a foreign people, how would you respond?

From CT:

Jim Elliot was among a group of US missionaries who felt called to share Christ's teaching with the Waodani tribe in Ecuador in the 1950s. At the time, the Waodani were one of the most violent known people groups on earth, who regularly practised homicide and fiercely defended their territory against those wishing to exploit the rich Amazonian land.

Elliot and his fellow missionaries initiated contact with the tribe after being taught some of their language; first by dropping gifts down from a plane and later establishing a camp not far from the Waodani settlement.

In January 1956, however, the five men were killed by members of the tribe as they approached them in person for the first time with the hopes of sharing the gospel.

The story generated worldwide news coverage, and Elliot's wife, Elisabeth, has since written a bestselling book entitled 'Through the Gates of Splendor' about her husband's journey. Jim's journal, which famously features the quote "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose", has also been read by thousands of believers around the world.

Amazingly, Elisabeth and the sister of another of the missionaries, Rachel, were introduced to the Waodani just two years after their murder, and were invited to live among the tribe. Many of them came to faith.

These are the ways in which we can engage in sharing in the Lord Jesus’ obedience.

The other side of this is to accept the sacrifice that Christ has made for you.

We sinned.

God sent Jesus.

We respond.

God gives us new life.