Alright, go back to Philippians chapter 2 and verse number 5, have a look at that, Philippians
chapter 2 verse 5.
The Bible says, let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.
The title for the sermon tonight is the mind of Christ.
The mind of Christ, now of course this is Christmas day, you're expecting a Christmas
sermon I'm sure and I do want this to be a Christmas sermon and what we read about here
when we look at the mind of Christ, we are looking at the mind that God had, the mind
that the son of God had that Jesus Christ had when he came into this earth the first
time.
When he came and made himself in the likeness of men, this is what was on his mind, the
mind of Christ and it says here in verse 5, let this mind be in you, let this mind be
in you.
I didn't want to just preach any usual Christmas message and we're familiar with the story
but I wanted to take a thought here, let's stop here for a minute.
What was going through the mind of Christ, the son of God, the eternal son of God who
reigns above and was able to lower himself, lower himself, lower than the angels come
into this world and being born as a little child, a little baby, born as a man.
What was going through the mind of Christ, it is so important for us to understand what
that is because then we're commanded to have that same mind in us, okay, the same mind
in us.
Philippians 2 verse 6, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal
with God but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and
was made in the likeness of men, made in the likeness of men.
So again, I want to focus what was on the mind of Christ, what would cause God to just
stop and say, well, I'm going to lower myself from the glories of heaven, from the worship
of the heavenly host and lower myself to a man who would be despised, a man who would
be rejected.
You know, what was it that made it so special that we need to pause and think and say, well,
I need this mind, the Bible says I need to have this same mind of Christ.
What is it, what is it so special?
The first thing I want you to notice in verse number 6 is that Christ when he was born was
in the form of God.
Jesus Christ is God, okay, he is the eternal son of God, he is equally God, you know, as
much as the Father, as much as the Holy Spirit, these three are one, the Bible tells us, right?
The Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, these three are one.
And then when you read the rest of verse number 6, it says, thought it not robbery to be equal
with God, what does that mean?
Thought it not robbery to be equal, what is robbery, first of all?
If you were to rob someone, you're taking something that does not belong to you, right?
You're taking something which belongs to another and you're giving that to yourself, that would
be robbery, okay?
That would be robbery.
Now, did Jesus commit robbery, what did it say there?
Thought it not robbery, okay, not robbery to be equal with God.
Now if it was robbery to be equal with God, that would mean Jesus was taking something
that did not belong to him, right?
But that's not what it says, it says that he thought it not robbery to be equal with
God.
Was Jesus Christ on this earth as a babe in the manger, was he equal to God?
Yes, okay, it would not be robbery for him to consider that.
And of course, Jesus Christ didn't come, you know, exalting himself, you know, and talking
about how godly or, you know, talk about his deity, you know, the way he came to this earth
was that of a servant.
But when somebody was able to see, well, you're the Son of God, you are God Almighty, you're
able to forgive sins, you know, only God can forgive sins, when people started to realize
this is deity on the earth, Jesus would accept that.
In fact, he would accept the worship that people came, you know, they would come to
his feet and cry and bow with themselves before him, he would receive the worship, why?
Because it was not robbery for him to do that, he was rightly God, okay?
And so verse number six begins just by telling us that he's God and he thought it not robbery
to be equal with God, but then what does he do in verse number seven?
He made himself of no reputation, okay?
He comes into this earth, not blowing a horn, not born in a king's palace, you know, there
wasn't some, you know, whatever way you would think a king would be born and announce a
nation, that did not happen, you know, he was born in a lowly manger.
And the Bible says he of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant.
Think about that.
You know, God deserving of worship, deserving of service, deserving of all praise and all
glory and all honor, he made himself a servant, okay?
This is the mind of Christ, this is what I want you to consider tonight, okay?
And this Christmas, as we go into the new year, I need to have the same mind, no matter
what my reputation is, that I've got to make myself of no reputation, that I need to come
in the form of a servant.
That's the challenge, that is difficult to do, not only that, it says here, and was made
in the likeness of men, in the likeness of men, what does it mean to be made in the likeness
of men?
Keep your finger there and go to Romans chapter eight, please, Romans chapter eight, verse
two, turn to Romans chapter eight, verse two, the Bible defines it a slightly different
way in Romans chapter eight, verse two, yes, the likeness of men, you know, you might read
that and say, well, you know, I guess he looked like a man, of course, he would look
like a man when he was born into this earth, but does it mean more than that?
Absolutely, Romans chapter eight, verse two, the Bible says, for the law of the spirit
of life in Christ Jesus have made me free from the law of sin and death, look at this,
and 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, what did
Philippians two say, that he came in the likeness of men, what does Romans chapter eight say,
that he came in the likeness of sinful flesh, think about that, you know, a God who cannot
sin, you know, a God who hates sin, a God who has to judge sin, he came and he was born
in the likeness of sinful flesh, now does the Bible say that he was born with sinful
flesh, was he born with a sin nature Jesus Christ, no, it says in the likeness of sinful
flesh, it appeared though he was perfectly human being, he was 100% man, we often say
that Christ was 100% man, 100% God, but what was very unique about Christ is that he did
not come with a sinful flesh, he did not have the sin nature, which I understand is
probably passed through the fathers and of course Jesus Christ having no earthly father,
but the, you know, the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary when she was conceived and gave birth
to Jesus Christ, so quite an amazing thing, how much the God of the universe, the creator
of all things had to lower himself so low to be the likeness of sinful flesh, that which
he hates actually, okay, but that's what he had to do in order for him to be a servant
for us, a servant for mankind, the mind of Christ, do you think you can have the mind
of Christ, how hard do you think that would be for God to lower himself so low, you know,
to be hated and despised of men, rejected, you know, difficult, the mind of Christ, and
I don't know how he did it, but then he says you've got to do it, that's our command, that's
what he wants us to do in this life, to have that mind of Christ, and before I get off
topic here, if you guys go back to Philippians chapter 2 verse 7, actually verse 6, something
that I wanted to show you here is Philippians chapter 2 verse 6, let's just read that one
more time, who had been in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God,
and brethren listen, we've got the King James Bible, we have a perfect translation in the
English language of the original languages, you know, in the original Greek, Aramaic,
and Hebrew, right, we've got it, we can read this, thank God for the translation that God
has given us, and be careful about the other Bibles that are out there, it can be tempting,
I mentioned to a few of you guys, a couple of nights ago, I went to Kurong, alright,
or like my old pastor used to call it, Sorong, bookshop, right, I went there, and wow, look
at the big sections of the new American stand, look at the big section of the NIV, where's
the King James, oh this little corner of the King James Bible there, right, this little
section there, and I went to have a little section, oh there's a new King James here
as well, they throw it in there as well to the saved people, we've been given a beautiful
Bible, and I'll just read to you what the new American Standard Bible says, in verse
number 6, you guys look at, looking at your King James, I'll read to you from the new
American Standard Bible, it says, who, although he existed in the form of God, did not regard
equality with God a thing to be grasped, think about that, right, did not regard equality
with God a thing to be grasped, in other words, according to the new American Standard
Bible, he did not want to be equal to God, what in the world, who is Jesus Christ, he
is God, that's why he thought it not robbery to be equal with God, it was right for him
to be equal with God, okay, so be careful about the Bible, you read, you know, we're
a King James only church, so important because the devil has corrupted the word of God, okay,
and he's corrupted your minds, you know, he's corrupted your minds, and you think well all
these Bibles are the same, why do we have to take such a strict position, because we
already have a pure word of God in English, even these children sitting at the front here
can read it and understand it, you know, we go door to door soul winning, people who are
not in church, people who are not reading the Bible, we read to them John, Romans 3.16,
we read to them John 3.16, we read all these passages to them, and they understand it,
and then there are so called Christians that say it's too hard to understand, well there's
something wrong with your heart then, okay, if you supposedly with the spirit of God cannot
understand the King James Bible, and yet the unbeliever out there, daughter of someone
can understand it, our children in this church can understand it, why? I'll tell you why,
because they're putting the effort in to understand it, I'll tell you why, because when you go
door to door gospel preaching, you're expounding the scriptures, you've got the Holy Spirit
of God, you're helping that person understand the word of God, alright, yes the King James
Bible requires a bit of an effort, if it's the word of God, it deserves a bit of effort,
doesn't it? It deserves to be read, it deserves to be meditated on, it deserves to be studied,
now I'm going off on a tangent there, I want to keep going back to the mind of Christ,
but you know, he was God, he was deserving to be equal with God, and yet he became the
likeness of sinful flesh, please now go to Hebrews chapter 4, Hebrews chapter 4 verse
15, Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15, there's been this controversy out there about, you know,
whether Jesus could have sinned, or you know, he didn't sin, but could he have sinned, and
then people breaking fellowship and making a big deal, and first of all, I do believe
this is an important doctrine, okay, that Jesus Christ did not come in sinful flesh,
he came in the likeness of sinful flesh, very important words the Bible uses to describe
that, he did not have a sinful nature about him, okay, otherwise he could not be perfect,
alright, and of course we know that God cannot sin, alright, but here's the thing, because
he came in the likeness of sinful flesh, when we read Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15, let's
have a read of it, Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15, it says here that, for we have not an
high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin, now here's the benefit of Christ coming
in the likeness of sinful men, flesh, in the likeness of men, is that he experienced temptation,
it says it right there, right, he experienced, he was tempted in all points like as we are
yet without sin, so he knows, even though he himself could not sin, he did not have
that sinful nature, he knows what it's like to be tempted, and being tempted is not a
sin, okay, being tempted, given into temptation, given into the lusts, that is sin, but not
the temptation in of itself, okay, and Christ has seen what that's like, so he knows our
shortcomings, he knows our struggles, which is a great thing, because in verse number
16, it then says, let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy and find grace to help in the time of need, what's the advantage of Christ being
in the form of men, the likeness of men, is that he can understand us, okay, and he can
grant grace upon us as we need him, as we need to go confess our sins, as we go to the
Lord and explain the challenges, the difficulties that we all struggle with, all the sins that
we have difficulties with, we have a God who can understand, we have a mediator who can
speak to the Father on our behalf, praise God for the Lord Jesus Christ, but while you're
in the book of Hebrews, go to Hebrews chapter 2 now, Hebrews chapter 2 verse number 6, Hebrews
chapter 2 verse number 6, again we're just focusing on the mind of Christ, we're focusing
on him lowering himself below the, you know, below, under, a little lower than the angels
the Bible says here, Hebrews chapter 2 verse 6, Hebrews chapter 2 verse 6, the Bible's
saying, but one in a certain place testified saying, what is man that thou art mindful
of him, what do we want, we want the mind of Christ, and the question is asked here,
what is man that thou art mindful of him, what's on the mind of Christ, what's on the
mind of God, you know what's on the mind of God, you are, man is, what is man that thou
art mindful of him, you know God thinks about you, you know God remembers you, especially
as a child of God, he's thinking about you, okay, and then it says here, oh the son of
man that thou visitest him, did Jesus visit us, absolutely, some 2000 years ago, born
in Bethlehem, right, that's when he came and visited us, verse number 7, thou madeest him
a little lower than the angels, thou crownest him with glory and honor, and did set him
over the works of thy hands, thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet, for
in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him,
but now we see not yet all things put under him, but we see Jesus, who was made a little
lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that
he by the grace of God should taste death for every man, that's the mind of Christ,
my friends, my brothers and sisters, that he would lower himself and not just be a man,
but he would be a man who would take on our sin, that he would die for us, what great
love, what great service, unbelievable, you know, amazing, how many of you would die for
your fellow man, you know, and you're as sinful as they are, and we have God who is without
sin, without his sin nature, lowering himself so much, knowing full well why he came, knowing
full well that he would die such a painful death, such suffering, such sorrow, be separated
from the Father, you know, take on all of my sins, that I've, even those that I've still
yet committed, not committed, they will put on Christ as, your sins as well, put on Christ,
that's the mind of Christ though, that's the mind of Christ, and do I fully grasp it,
I don't, but the word of God tells me this is his mind, and I can learn and I can believe
this is how God is, this is how God is, and so you can then understand, if this is the
mind of Christ, what did he do, he lowered himself, right, now, when it says he lowered
himself, you know, we would use the term humility, okay, now should we lower ourselves, we should,
we should lower ourselves, when you come to church, you should come lowering yourself,
what does that mean, does that mean you come despising your sinfulness, despising your
past, you know, I'm such, I'm so unworthy, is that humility, you know, when you're focused
on the wrong things you've done, is that humility, no, that's self-centeredness, okay, humility
is not how you look at yourself, humility is how do you look at others, okay, how is
it that you look at others when you come to church and you see the brethren, you see your
brothers and sisters, you see the children, you see, you know, the pastor, you see people
that have not been saved very long, how do you feel toward them, I hope you come with
a humble attitude, that would be the mind of Christ, not despising yourself, but glorifying
the others, seeking to serve the others that you have in your local church, the Bible says
of no reputation in the form of a servant, no reputation, you know, God is not a respecter
of persons, you know, I'm, even though I'm the pastor of this church, you have equal
value in the eyes of God as me, you know, the child in this church has equal value in
the eyes of God than you, you know, the one that's been saved 20, 30 years, they still
got the same equal value in the eyes of God than the one that got saved yesterday, you
know, there is equality when it comes to the house of God, and we came to Jesus when
he was in heaven, he was equal with God the Father, equal with the Holy Spirit, and you
know what, nobody in this church is above one another, no, we're instructed, we're
told, have the mind of Christ, come as a servant, lower yourself, you're just as valued as
the next person sitting next to you, think about that, everybody in this church is a
life that is valued by God, every person here, if they're saved, is a child of God,
how do you want to treat the children of God, you want to ignore them, you want to not greet
them, you want to speak harshly about them, how would you treat your brethren, okay, lower
yourself, if you don't lower yourself, you're going to find yourself looking down on others,
when the Bible says look up, lower yourself as a servant, you know, and edify one another,
look up, serve one another, what else, you know, we think about, you know, when it comes
to humility, we think of somebody of a great status, you know, people talk about, you know,
great men, and when they meet these great men, and quite often, you know, people say
well, you know what, he's not what I thought, you know, he's just, this person was just
down to earth, he was just easy to get along with, you know, and that's the kind of person
that you need to be, down to earth, easy to get along with, you know, humbling yourself,
you know, as a pastor, yeah, I got a position of authority in the church, great, but when
I'm outside of, you know, when I'm not preaching, when I'm just hanging out, and talking to
you guys, and fellowshiping, you know, I just want to be the down to earth guy, I just want
to be your brother in the Lord, that's what I am, okay, of no reputation, lowering yourself,
I don't care how much money you have, I don't care what status you have in this world, in
the house of God, in the family of God, you're of equal value, equal value, okay, think about
that, especially with the children, every child here is super important to this church,
okay, just as important as the next person, just as important as the pastor, and you know,
I'm sure Jesus Christ, when we read these stories, he's dealing with sinful men, I'm
sure Jesus Christ was down to earth, easy to get along with, right, you come with a
humble heart, a sincere heart, asking Jesus a question, he would answer you, you know,
did he answer harshly sometimes? Absolutely, but he did it to the reprobates, he did it
to the Pharisees, he did it to those that were trying to kill him, those that were trying
to hurt him, those that were trying to hurt the believers, the disciples that would follow
him, yeah, Jesus spoke out against them, but when he came to the average man, Jesus Christ
was just fully down to earth, made himself in the form of a servant, ready to serve anybody
that he was able to influence, get saved, and follow after his ways. Please go back
to Philippians if you're not there, Philippians chapter 2, verse 1, we're going to backtrack
a little bit now, we see in the mind of Christ, and I think it's amazing, I don't know about
you, but I think about the Christmas story, and it's amazing that God would think about
us, that he would think about us so much, and love us so much, that he would lower himself
to the point of dying on the cross. Verse number 1, Philippians chapter 2, verse 1,
there are a few questions that are asked here, I think four of them here, it says, if there
be therefore any consolation in Christ, now first of all, before we keep reading, is there
consolation in Christ? Can you be consoled in Christ? Yeah, absolutely there is, right?
These are kind of like a rhetorical question, right? If there be any consolation in Christ,
if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any vows of mercies, so
what is it here that we ought to be looking for? I'm sure we're all looking for consolation
at some point, right? Consolation in Christ, I'm sure at some point we're all looking for
comfort, when we need to be comforted, we need to seek the comfort of love, I'm sure
there are times you're looking for fellowship, just to deal with your brothers and sisters
in the Lord, just to have a good time, just to enjoy each other's company, fellowship
of the Spirit there, and I'm sure there are times you're going to be looking for vows
of mercies, mercy, when you've made mistakes, when you need help for a brother to look down
on you and show you mercy, and help you in a time of difficulty. Where can we find these
things brethren? These are four very fundamental things that we need to have as believers,
so we can strive to walk with the Lord, and to be successful Christians, where do you
find this? Verse number two, Paul says, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having
the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Who's he writing to? He's writing to
the Philippian church, listen, he's writing to New Life Baptist Church, as we read this,
what is it that he says we need to do if we're going to find consolation in God, if
we're going to find fellowship in the Spirit, mercy, what does this church need to do? We
need to be of one mind, of one accord, the same love, like-minded the Bible says, like-minded,
what does it mean to be like-minded? We're talking about the mind of Christ, it means
this church needs to have the mind of Christ, if we don't have the mind of Christ in this
church, we're going to be lacking in these areas, okay, you know, you're going to have
a visitor walk in one day, when we don't have the mind of Christ, walk in, looking for a
church, nobody talks to them, nobody encourages them, no one's interested in their life, oh
you're wrong on doctrine, I forget you, alright, and they're not going to come back are they,
you know why? Because this church was lacking the mind of Christ at that point in time,
and we can't afford to have that, Reverend, we're commanded to have the mind of Christ,
okay, now what did it say there, fulfil ye my joy that ye be like-minded, we love to
use that term today don't we, like-minded, we talk about like-minded believers out there,
and you know when we use that term, I don't think there's anything wrong with the way we use the
term, but we're not using it in its proper context, because when we talk about a like-minded brother,
what are we talking about? We're talking about somebody that maybe believes in replacement
theology, someone that believes in a post-treat rapture, someone that believes in reprobates,
oh that's my like-minded brother, is that really what it means to be like-minded though? You know,
what value is there for somebody in this church to believe just like you, 100% on everything,
but you don't show them love, you don't show them mercy, you don't show consolation and comfort,
what value is there? No value, Reverend, you know I would rather have all those things with
a brother who's not exactly like me, that's more valuable to me than a brother who believes just
like me, but I can't even fellowship with that person. It's more important that we have the mind
of Christ, that we be like-minded, let me show you this, if you guys can just drop down to verse
number 19, but the phrase like-minded is used a few times in the Bible, let's have a look how the
Word of God, how God uses this term like-minded, drop down to verse number 19 in the same chapter,
look what it says here, but I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you,
so Paul wants to send Timotheus to this church in Philippi, that I also may be of good comfort when
I know your state, look at this, for I have no man like-minded, what does it mean here, who will
naturally care for your state? That's what it means to be like-minded, to care for your state,
when you care for your brother or sister in the Lord in this church, when you care for the
children, when you care for the widows, when you care for those that are mourning, for those that
are suffering, that's when you're like-minded, I don't care if you agree with every adoption as I
do, if you can't show love, you're not like-minded, and we're commanded to be like-minded, we're
commanded to have the mind of Christ, verse number, look at verse number 21, for all seek their own,
others that are not like-minded, look at this, for all seek their own, not the things which are
Jesus Christ's, what is the mind of Christ? Humbling himself, making himself of no reputation,
serving to the point of death, that's the mind of Christ, that's what we're commanded to be,
brethren, servants, loving one another, lifting up each other, that is like-mindedness, that is
like-mindedness, okay? If you can now turn to Romans 15, turn to, you can keep your finger in
Philippians 2, we're not done there, but go to Romans 15, verse 5, Romans 15, verse 5,
Romans 15, verse 5, now the God of patience and consolation, very similar word there,
consolation, grant you to be like-minded, one toward another, according to Christ Jesus,
that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we're not finished, wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory
of God. What does it mean to be like-minded? To receive one another, okay? When you find a brother
in Christ, receive them, show them love, show them compassion, show them mercy, that is true
like-mindedness, right? As Christ also received us to the glory of God, that's how we're meant to
receive each other, the way Christ received you, in the glory of God, the mind of Christ. Do you
have it, brethren? Do you have the mind of Christ today? Does New Life Baptist Church have the mind
of Christ today? And if we don't, well, we fix it, we get the mind of Christ into our church,
and I'm not saying we don't have it, I'm saying we can work on it, okay? And I'm sure there are going
to be times you come to church and you're going to be self-centered, there's going to be times
when you come to church and you're thinking about me, you're thinking about what brother so and so,
sister and so, look how they treated me, don't worry about that, you go and show the mind of
Christ to those around you, regardless of how the others act around you, okay? Show Christian
maturity, show Christian love, consolation, comfort, show people the mind of Christ is
operating within you as well. Philippians chapter 2, back to Philippians chapter 2 now. I want
like-minded believers, I want to be friends with like-minded brethren, okay? Even if they don't
agree 100% with me on doctrine, if they're saved, if they're a child of God, I'm going to show them
love, okay? If they're preaching another gospel, if they're preaching another Jesus, another spirit,
get out of here, we want nothing to do with that, but if it's a true brother in Christ, I don't care
how different they are, we need to show them love, okay? We need to receive them. Verse number three,
please, verse number three. So, in comparison to this, we know we're instructed to have that
one mind, but then the opposite is this, verse number three, let nothing be done through strife
or vainglory. Now, brethren, if you don't have the mind of Christ, you are going to find yourself in
strife and vainglory. You know, if you're constantly in conflict, constantly in strife,
constantly in arguments, constantly speaking bad of your fellow brothers in Christ, you haven't got
the mind of Christ. You're full of strife or vainglory. Vainglory, it means you're looking out
for yourself, you know, you're glorifying yourself, you're putting down the others so you can feel
better about yourself, wrong, wrong. You know, the best way to make yourself feel better about
yourself is lifting up others. When you see that you bring a smile to the face of a brother or
sister in Christ, I promise you, that's going to make you feel better. That's going to be a
permanent joy that you have in your hearts. The temporary joy is pulling people down,
aha, I'm so much better than them, temporary joy, then you're going to feel horrible for a while,
okay, for a long time, okay? And you tear those around you, no, lift them up, give them a smile,
show them love. That's where true joy is going to be, you know, but if you're someone that's
constantly in strife, vainglory, it's just because you haven't got the mind of Christ. Accept it,
okay? Don't get offended by the message, accept it, I don't have the mind of Christ, therefore I
need the mind of Christ. Praise God, okay? And that's whenever we need to fix something in our
church or in our personal lives, we have to get to a point where we say, well, I'm lacking in this,
I'm not doing well, great, that's step number one, you've done well. Praise God that you can accept
when you're failing. Praise God, now that you've accepted it, now you can change it. You know,
through the help of Christ. It says here, instead of things being done in strife or vainglory,
verse number three, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other, better than themselves. I love
that. You know, this is one of my life versus, brethren. You know, I don't know how well I do
this, but my heart, and even if I don't feel it in the flesh, and of course I'm not going to feel
in the flesh, the flesh is wicked, okay? But my goal in life when I meet a brother is just to
automatically say you're better than me, alright? I'm going to esteem you better than myself. I'm
going to elevate you. I'm going to think the best of you. I'm going to give you the benefit of the
doubts. That's what I think of a brother or sister in the Lord when I meet them. I don't care how
old they are. You know, some people think they can only, you know, get along with people of their
age. I can only get along with people that are married, like I'm married with kids, right?
Therefore I should only be able to get along with people that are married with kids. I'm going to
strive to get along with single people. I'm going to strive to get along with children. I'm going to
strive to get along with those that are older than me. I'm going to esteem them better, all of them,
better than myself. That is the mind of Christ. That is the mind you need to have in New Life
Baptist Church. Remember what it said there in verse number three, but in the lowliness of mind,
humbleness, the lowliness, what's the opposite of lowliness of mind? What do you think that is?
The Bible uses another term called being high-minded, okay? And you don't need to turn,
they'll just read to you from 1 Timothy 6 17. It says, charge them that are rich in this world to
people that are wealthy in this world that they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertain riches,
but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. What we've been told here is
that people that are wealthy, people with many riches are likely to become high-minded. Instead
of low loneliness of mind, they have high mind. Look at me, look at my success in this world.
Will you instruct them how do they overcome being high-minded? It said there, not to trust in
uncertain riches, but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. Is there anything
wrong with being rich? No, but to prevent yourself from being high-minded, you need to come to a
point and realize, well, I'm not rich because of myself, I'm rich because it's come from God. I'm
trusting in God, he's given me these riches so that I can enjoy. When you take that, when you
change that in your mind, you're going to be much more gracious. You're going to be able to have
that mind of Christ. And brethren, that's really, I mean, I know that the example there was someone
that is rich, but maybe you're talented, maybe you're a great preacher, maybe you're a great
orator, you have great speech, maybe you have great stature, maybe you have great strength.
You know, the things, all of these things, if we're not careful, if we're not glorifying God,
it can cause us to be high-minded. All of these things, all right? And that's why you just bring
those things back to God. If God has given you talent, if you've got natural skill, you've got
natural strength that God has given you, just give him honor for it, okay? Don't be high-minded,
lower yourself and still esteem everybody in this church better than yourself. And if you go back to
Philippians 2, I think you are there, sorry, verse number 4, the Bible says, look not every man on
his own things. What did I say? You know, if you come to church and you have the wrong idea of
lowliness of mind, you're beating yourself up, oh, my past, oh, my mistakes, I'm such a wicked
sinner. You know what that means? Verse number 4, you're looking every man on his own things.
When you come to church, put away your own things and look at the needs of others. What it says
there? Not on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus. What mind was in Christ Jesus? Jesus did not look on his own
things, but he looked on the things of others. That's who Jesus Christ was. Let this mind be in
you. Brethren, I love Wednesday, and I'm glad we get a full house on Wednesday, right? Praise God,
we don't often get a full house on a Wednesday. But what I love about Wednesday is our prayer
time. To me, that's the highlight, okay? I mean, everything's a highlight, singing hymns, all that,
but my greatest highlight on a Wednesday is praying together. You know why? Because that
gives me an opportunity to not look upon on my own things, but to look on the things of others.
Because it's very easy to be self-absorbed. All the problems, all the concerns you have,
right? And yet when you hear the prayer needs of other people, it's much easier than to bring
those things before the Lord. I feel so much better when I'm praying for the needs of others.
When I see God answering prayers that other people have, that lifts my spirits, and that's
the mind of Christ. Let me encourage you when you pray, you know, I was taught about this
acronym, I don't know if I've preached on this before, but JOY, you know, how can you find joy
in prayer? And, you know, if you break it down, the idea is this, I think my mom taught me this,
you know, J for joy represents Jesus. So when you start to pray, you know, be thankful for Jesus,
be thankful for what God has done for your life, be thankful for the answered prayers that God has
given you, you know, the power of Jesus' name, that he can answer those prayers for you. And
then enjoy all for others. So first you thank God, you honor God, then you pray for others,
pray for others first, you know, what is the need of my brother? What is the need of my sister?
What is the need of our church? What are the needs of our community that we have here,
that God has placed his church in? And then finally, the Y enjoy yourself, then pray for
yourself, okay? And by doing that, what are you demonstrating to others? That you have the mind
of Christ, the mind of Christ, okay? And that's why I find when I'm praying by myself, I tend
to want to pray for myself and my needs, which is nothing wrong with that. But when I find that
I'm gathered on a Wednesday night with my believer, my brethren, I'm more inclined to want to pray
for others. That's why I love Wednesday night prayer. You know, please, if you can, be here,
be part of it, it'll help you have that mind of Christ. Verse number six, who being in the form
of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took
upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. As being found in fashion as
a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He's
saying, boy, if I could have the mind of Christ, do I have to be obedient to death? Do I have to
die on a cross like Jesus Christ? Well, no, you know, you don't have to die on a cross and pay for
people's sins, right? Praise God, that's been done with, that's been done with Jesus Christ. Those
are the works that he was given to do. But you know, the principle is there, that we need to be
obedient to God the Father. We need to be, the mind of Christ is to read the Word of God, see
what God wants in our lives, and to do it. To be obedient, or to get saved? No. So just be right
with God, just to walk in righteousness, to receive rewards in heaven. It requires you just
to be in obedience to what the Word of God says. And when you're in disobedience to God's Word,
you don't have the mind of Christ. Again, self-centered, all right? We must have the
mind of Christ, brethren, even when it comes to our obedience. And look, if it's your place,
if it's God's will for you to die on a cross, for his name's sake, well, so be it. So be it.
It'll be worth it. Okay, if you have to lay down your life for the name of Christ, you know,
persecution or tribulation comes your way just for preaching the Word of God, just for preaching
the gospel, so be it, brethren. Promise, it'll be worth it. You'll be in heaven, you know, and
you'll be like, man, it was worth it. You know, why was I afraid? It was worth it. You know,
thank God for the rewards, the glory and the honor that I could give Jesus Christ for dying
for his name. And then it says, verse number nine, wherefore God also have highly exalted him,
and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow
of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And obviously we give Jesus
Christ all the honor there, and we see that how his mind is. We see the servitude that he would
give, that he would lay down his life for us, and by doing that, by being obedient, he would then
be exalted and glorified by the Father. Praise God for Jesus Christ. Praise God for the position
that he's been held up in the heavens. And that's our mediator, that's our Savior. And so the
principle here for us, brethren, is that if you're in obedience to God, you follow his word, you
follow his commandments, you do the work that God has left you to do, he will exalt you. You lower
yourself as a servant, you walk this earth as a servant, you see who can I help, who can I pray
for? And when you make it to the glories of heaven, God himself will lift you up, he will
exalt you, he will give you the crowns, he will give you those rewards. And you know what? You
just cast those crowns at the feet of Jesus and say, thank you, Jesus, because you've given me
the ability to serve you. The mind of Christ, brethren, do we have it? Do you have it? Do we
have it at New Life Baptist Church? When someone walks in our doors, can they see, can they, can
they appreciate the mind of Christ? Or do they think there's something else going on in this
church? You know what, I want people to walk in here, even if they don't agree with us and
everything, I want them to see the love, I want them to see the compassion, I want them to see
the servitude that you have, one for another. Whoever put this water here for me, that's
servitude from you to me. Praise God. But don't just do it to me, do it to one another. You know,
brother Matthew, do you want a coffee? Praise God, that's servitude. That's the mind of Christ.
Anything you can do for one another, that's the mind of Christ. Lifting them, thinking of them
better than yourself, lowering yourself, okay, making yourself of no reputation. And just follow
after the example that Jesus Christ has left us. If Christ did not have this mind, he would not
have come to this earth, and you will die on your sins and go to hell, straight to hell, okay? The
mind of Christ is something he wants us to have as individuals and for us to have as a church.
Let's pray.