THE MIND OF CHRIST!

Sunday, July 7, 2019

THE MIND OF CHRIST!

Phil 2:2-8

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

3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

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.

Three times in this portion Paul uses the word “mind.” It is interesting to learn that they have different meanings in the New Testament’s original language. Each time, however, Paul is emphasizing the fact that our actions begin in our thought processes. Let’s take a look.

Like minded – One accord – of one mind—THIS IS UNITY!

Couples who have been married for a long time have an uncanny ability to finish each other’s thoughts and sentences in a conversation. They are so intimately familiar with one another that they seem to share one mind! This is the atmosphere Paul is promoting within the Philippians’ church. The meaning is UNITY.

What would happen if you did not have to ask a question because you already knew the answer? What would happen if you did not have to persuade or negotiate because there was no opposition? What if every action had a predictable and FAVORABLE reaction? This is the atmosphere Paul wanted for them.

1 Cor 1:10

10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Lowliness of mind – THIS IS HUMILITY!

Paul actually explains himself in verse 4 when he says: “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” What would happen if every member of the church weighed their ambitions in someone else’s balance? What if we consciously and intentionally thought of others more than ourselves? What if each time we prepared a cup of coffee for ourselves we prepared one for someone else – just the way they like it – two sugars and no cream? Think about the atmosphere in that church where every member functioned in this way!

The Mind of Christ – THIS IS SACRIFICE!

Without abandoning His awareness of His own equality with God, Jesus “took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” It was necessary for Christ to become man!

Rom 8:3-4

3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

It was a tough job, as we say, but someone had to do it! This is the mind of sacrifice. Jesus willingly suffered loss that we might gain. Try, Paul was saying, to blend your affections and emotions – your mind – with this attitude held by Christ. The opposite of this “mind” is what I call the “greedy grab” mindset and it genders strife.

James 4:1-2

4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

Dear Lord! Help me to develop a mind of unity with my brethren, a mind of humility with my peers and the mind of Christ in the world. AMEN