The Mind of Christ

Introduction: Knowing the mind of Christ

As Christians, we are to conform to the image of Christ. We are born in the image of Adam, but we are born again into the image of Christ. As part of that conforming to the image of Christ. Paul discusses this in:

1 cor 15:45 “45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”

When a person is born again, as just stated in the verse, they are quickened, made alive, and they begin the process of being conformed to the image of the Christ.

Rom 8.29 “29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Part of this conforming to Christ is trying to conform to the mind of Christ.

1 cor 2:16 “16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

This illustration is from Mark Batterson who who writes about an experiment:

“Doctors Avi Karni and Leslie Ungerleider of the National Institute of Mental Health did a fascinating study asking subjects to perform a simple motor task—a finger-tapping exercise. As subjects tapped, the doctors conducted an MRI to identify what part of the brain was being activated. The subjects then practiced the finger-tapping exercise daily for four weeks. At the end of the four-week period, the brain scan was repeated. In each instance, it revealed that the area of the brain involved in the task had expanded. That simple task—finger-tapping exercise—literally recruited new nerve cells and rewired neuronal connections.

When we read Scripture, we are recruiting new nerve cells and rewiring neuronal connections. In a sense, we are downloading a new operating system that reconfigures the mind…

When we read Scripture, we engage in spiritual tapping. Our brains are rewired in alignment with the Word, and we develop the mind of Christ. ”

Mind of Christ - Others

Point one: is Having the Mind of Christ - Caring for other.

In fact, in a conversation with Joe, we discussed that Philippians 2:4-11 is just a beautiful passage about humility, being a servant, and so we are going to read it and look at what it says.

In Philippians 2:4-11 “4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

I. I want to discuss verse four first: It it says look not on on your own thing, but every man on the things of others.

Rom 12:10 “10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;”

Gal 6:2 “2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”

David Walker, asks four questions in relations to this verse:

Am I being fair in my judgments

Look at Matt 7:1-5 “1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

What would the Lord think of my condescending attitude toward this person?

If my inner thoughts were known, would others think the same of me.

Am I praying for this person as much as I am condemning him?

Remember, Christ is our example. So the degree to which you hope that Christ thinks of your issues, is the degree to which Christ is saying we need to think on others. We can’t do that of course, but that is the bar - having the mind of Christ.

Mind of Christ - being a Servant

Phil 2:7 “7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”

So Christ made himself of no reputation an took on the form of a servant. This idea of being a servant is something we are going to park on for a little while. It is that important.

John Kenneth Galbraith, in his autobiography, A Life in Our Times, illustrates the devotion of Emily Gloria Wilson, his family's housekeeper: It had been a wearying day, and I asked Emily to hold all telephone calls while I had a nap. Shortly thereafter the phone rang. Lyndon Johnson was calling from the White House. "Get me Ken Galbraith. This is Lyndon Johnson." "He is sleeping, Mr. President. He said not to disturb him." "Well, wake him up. I want to talk to him." "No, Mr. President. I work for him, not you. When I called the President back, he could scarcely control his pleasure. "Tell that woman I want her here in the White House."

Houghton Mifflin in Reader's Digest, December, 1981.

The Point: The servant knows who is their master. To some degree, we tend to think in our culture of a servant in terms of the employer-employee relationship. However, an employee is not a servant. It doesn’t get at the depths of what a servant is.

Look at:

1 cor 6:19-20 “19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

So to be real here for a moment, the meaning of servant here is that of a slave. Someone who is bought as property. I don’t have to belabor this point, because I think we all know what a slave is in our cultural context. In fact, in our society, having a slave is at be immoral and at worst illegal.

So, if we carry this example out it means:

We have no will of our own. Rather, we are to do the will of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

What we like, what we love, what we want, is not what is important, it is what our Lord and savior likes, what Christ loves and what Christ wants.

Our dreams and ambitions are not what is important. It is the will of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Are we uncomfortable yet. Is our American dream being somewhat in conflict with this type of thinking. Can we reconcile who we are as Americans and we are as Christians?

My point here it to get you to a point where you have to admit that you cannot do this.

However, in the same book is the verse:

Phil 4:11-13 “11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Conclusion: I want you to realize the degree to which the Christian life calls for you to sacrifice not just some things, like your time, or your money, this life demands for your to surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender, All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.

What are you willing to surrender to Christ? We looked at two areas, thinking of others above yourself and being a servant of Jesus Christ.