Sermon Tone Analysis

LET THIS MIND BE IN YOU!

 

Scriptural Text: Phil.

2:1-8

 

! I.            INTRODUCTION

* *

Philippians is the most personal epistle written by Paul.

In this letter he uses first person pronouns no less than one hundred times.

This letter is not a great defense of the Gospel or Paul’s apostleship.

It is rather a thank you letter to the Philippians for their generosity and loyalty to him.

The letter is very practical in its tone and teaching.

On Paul’s second missionary journey he visited Philippi.

Through his ministry there several people were converted and a church was started (Acts 16:14-34).

The recurring theme throughout the book is Christian joy.

“Joy” is used four times in this letter, “rejoice” is used eight times, “glad” occurs three times.

Paul also wrote about the mind or attitude of the child of God.

Our mind or attitude determines our lifestyle, quality of life and most importantly our ability to live in a Christ-like manner.

Interestingly enough, Paul wrote this epistle while imprisoned in Rome, yet you would not know this except for his reference to the palace guard in *Philippians 1:13*, “so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else”,* (NASB95).

*Paul’s attitude was independent of his circumstances.

C.

M. Ward said, “There are things I can’t force.

I must adjust.

There are times when the greatest change needed is a change of my viewpoint.”

In other words, I must adjust my attitude.

One internet poll found that the key to happiness was *59%* *mental attitude*; *23% love*; *8% achievement*; *5% creative activity* and *5%* *money*.

All of us have attitude.

There is no way around it.

According to a Harvard study, when a person gets a job 85% of the time it is because of their attitude and not how many facts and figures they know.

Many things influence our attitude.

It can be influenced by race and culture, our health, our material wealth, our relationships, how we view the world and how we think the world views us.

All of this mean nothing, if our attitude is not biblical!

I want to address in this message the mindset or attitude of the believer.

What should our attitude be like?

Let this mind be in you as verse 5 says.

There is only one acceptable attitude or mindset of the child of God?  What is it?

! II.

FOUR IF’S THAT PRODUCE A BIBLICAL ATTITUDE

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v. 1 If there be therefore any *consolation* in Christ, if any *comfort* of love, if any *fellowship* of the Spirit, if any *bowels* and *mercies*,

 

a.

Consolation, Gr. /Paraklesis, /it means called to one’s side to help.

It is translated comforter or helper and is used to describe the Holy Spirit in *John 14:16* “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;”*(NASB95)*

 

It is also used in *1 John 2:1* * “*My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.

And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;”*(NASB95)*

* *

b.         Comfort of love.

This comfort is from Christ’s love.

The Greek means any address, whether made for the purpose of persuading, or of arousing and stimulating, or of calming and consoling.

Only time this word is used in the NT.

 

c.

Fellowship of the Spirit.

/Fellowship/ is koinonia in the Greek and it means participation.

It is the participation we all have together in the Spirit.

*2 Corinthians 13:14 *The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the *fellowship* of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.*

(NASB95)*

* *

*Philippians 3:10 *that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the *fellowship* of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;*(NASB95)*

* *

*Galatians 2:9 *and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of *fellowship*, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.*

(NASB95)*

* *

d.         Bowels and mercies.

The NIV says, tenderness and compassion; ESV, any affection and sympathy.

It is the kind of caring that causes us to become involved.

!! III.

FOUR IF’S THAT LEAD TO UNITY

 

v. 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

* *

a.            Same Mind

 

b.

Same Love

 

c.

United in Spirit

 

d.