Christmas/ MINISTRY: With The MIND Of CHRIST-V—
—Philippians 2:5-8[Part-2--7b-8 of :5-8](2:1-18)
God’s people are EXPECTED to minister WITH the mind of Christ Jesus, our Savior & Lord!....
Whereas, those who are merely ‘sentimentally religious’, ‘play church’ WITHOUT the power of God! In doing so, they operate by the feeble, & ineffective power of the flesh!
It’s one thing to know Jesus as your Savior, but it is quite another to live by His direction as your Lord!
Need:
The apostle Paul counseled the Philippian church to minister empowered with the mind of Christ Jesus.
God’s people are to minister with the mind of Christ Jesus.
How do God’s people minister with the mind of Christ Jesus?
4 characteristics of (Christmas)ministry with the mind of Christ Jesus.
In the last few weeks we’ve been looking at what it means to celebrate ‘CHRISTMAS: With The MIND Of CHRIST’....
And since we’ve extended that exploration into the new year & beyond, I’ve shifted the focus somewhat in that, we’re discovering that:
‘Christmas/ MINISTRY: With The MIND Of CHRIST’...
1. ‘LOVES As JESUS LOVES’(:1-4)
2-A. ‘GIVES As JESUS GIVES’(:5-8)[Part-1--5-7a of :5-8]
....TODAY we’ll further investigate what is involved in:
2-B—Christmas/ MINISTRY with the mind of Christ, AS IT...
‘GIVES As JESUS GIVES’(:5-8)[Part-2--7b-8 of :5-8]
:7b—“...taking the form of a bondservant, & coming in the likeness of men.”
Being by nature, in His pre-incarnate “form”, “in the form of God”(:6), & being “equal with God”(:6), Jesus took upon “Himself”, the actual nature of a willing “bondservant” or ‘slave’!
•Jesus ‘became flesh’ by reason of the Trinity’s own perfect & Divine, decision, privilege, & will.
“Form of/Very nature”(See :6)—morfh—Noun Accusative Sing. Fem.—1) The form by which a person or thing strikes the vision; 2) External appearance. Morfh “form”, is that which is intrinsic & essential; [as opposed to] schma “figure, shape, fashion”, [or] that which is outward & accidental. Fritzsche in Php 2:7 to relate to the complete form or nature of a servant; & schma to the external form, or human body in Php 2:8. In morfh it is also implied that the outward form expresses the inner essence, an idea which is absent from schma. Strong—Shape; figuratively--Nature; perhaps from the base of merov(through the idea of adjustment of parts). Used 3X--Php. 2:7.?“Morfh means the essential attributes as shown in the form. In his pre-incarnate state Christ possessed the attributes of God & so appeared to those in heaven who saw him. Here is a clear statement by Paul of the deity of Christ.”—RWP?English = ‘Morph’; ‘Morph-ology’.
“Servant/Bond-servant”—doulov—Noun Masc. - Genitive Sing. Masc.—1) A slave, bondman, man of servile condition—1a) A slave, 1b) metaphorically--One who gives himself up to another's will. Those whose service is used by Christ in extending & advancing his cause among men, 1c) Devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interests; 2) A servant, attendant. Doulov is the usual word for slave, one who is permanently in servitude, in subjection to a master. Strong—A slave(literal or figurative, involuntary or voluntary; frequently, therefore in a qualified sense of subjection or subserviency).
The fact of Jesus’ “bond-service”—intentional & permanent servitude TO God, by intentional servitude AS a man—was that He left heaven to live among “men” as a man.
•And so, Jesus is 100% God, yet 100% man as well!
One reality seen from Jesus’ choice, was that all “men” CAN & SHOULD be intentional ‘bond-servants’ of God!(See :8)
•And in that manner of “a bondservant”, ‘the second person of the Trinity’ intentionally, purposely, & perfectly submitted Himself to being human(Heb. 1:1-4; 2:14-18).
Heb. 1:1-3—“God, who at various times & in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory & the express image of His person, & upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”
Heb. 2:14-18—“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh & blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, & release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful & faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”
•It was thru His perfect, Divine willful choice, & ability, that He accomplished the uniquely singular feat of being the substitute for your sin!
:8—“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself & became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”
In verse :7, we were told that the ‘mind(set) of Christ’ drove ‘the second person of the Trinity’ to:
•Divest/Relinquish Himself of those aspects of His Divine fullness that were needed to accomplish His human birth, & secure His human bondservice to God(:7).
•Thru His ‘emptying’ Himself or “making Himself of no reputation”(:7a), He willingly & voluntarily “refused to assert any Divine right on His own behalf”(J. MacArthur). And it was all for your/my sake!
“As a man”(:7b), Jesus then further “humbled Himself” before God, by being “obedient.”
•His “obedience” was manifested fully, by His allowing Himself to be given to “death” by the very humanity He came to save!
•His “death” was a further example of the “humility” inherent to ‘the mind of Christ’(:5), in that His “death” sentence was completely undeserved.
•Jesus was treated shamefully as a treasonous, ‘criminal of the state’ by being crucified on “the Cross.” “The Cross” was the Roman means of torturous ‘capital punishment’ for the ‘official capital disposal’ of those who were enemies of the state.
Thru the humility of “the Cross”, Jesus accomplished, & set the example, the IDEAL for which every Christian should strive!
•By faith we are EQUIPPED by God, with everything needed to satisfy His design & will for us!
•Thru Christ we are sealed by the Holy Spirit(2Cor. 1:22; 2Cor. 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14; Eph. 4:30)....
2Cor. 1:22—“who also has sealed us & given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
Eph. 1:13-14—“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Eph. 4:30—“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
•Thru faith in Christ Jesus, God’s people gain godly wisdom & conviction of our own sin, plus the sin of others, by the Holy Spirit of God, Who is resident within them until death.
•And thru the Holy Spirit, God’s people are empowered! Yet even then, they still look forward to the day when they will receive the fullness of their salvation!
•Throughout our time on this earth, And by Jesus’ direct ministering by His Spirit, we receive training in righteousness for our conscience....
Heb. 12:11—“Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
1Tim. 4:7-8—“But reject profane & old wives’ fables, & exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is & of that which is to come.”
—:6-8—SUMMARIZATION:
Consider the ‘depth of love’ that was required to compel & invite the ‘Second Person’ of the Trinity, to become Jesus of Nazareth, the son of God, & our Savior!
His “making Himself” to be “of no reputation”(:7) required making Himself VULNERABLE:
1-As an entirely helpless infant.
2-to the Protection & care of human, fallible parents.
3-to the General ‘plagues’ of societies—language barriers, history, religion, weather, geography, resources, etc.
4-to the Clash of false wisdom within Jewish culture(s).
5-to both the Wisdom, as well as the misinterpretations of Rabbis & Jewish societal teachers.
6-to the Political dictates of the time(Gal. 4:1-7)—occupation by the Romans.
Gal. 4:4-6—“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!””
7-to the General failures of surrounding cultures.
8-to the Potential military destructions of entire societies.
9- to the Temptations of the flesh.(Heb. 4:15)
Heb. 4:15—“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
10-to Everyday societal & cultural pressures that are born from & grow out of secular fleshly limitations, thinking, & mentalities.... And to everyday societal & cultural pressures that are born out of false religious devotions.
11-to Etcetera!
*Try to envision the family dynamics that each of you have been vulnerable to....Jesus was there too!
*Try to imagine what it would have meant/been like for you, IF your circumstances had been different in a ‘bad’ way....Jesus was there too!
*Try to imagine what it would have meant/been like for you, IF your circumstances had been different in a ‘good’ way....Jesus was there too!
Argumentation:
Heb. 5:5-9—“So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.” As He also says in another place: “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek”; who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers & supplications, with vehement cries & tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, & was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,”
*Gal. 2:20—“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; & the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me & gave Himself for me.”
*Eph. 5:1-2—“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us & given Himself for us, an offering & a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
1Pet. 2:20-25—“For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good & suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd & Overseer of your souls.”
Heb. 12:1-8—“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, & the sin which so easily ensnares us, & let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author & finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, & has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary & discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”[Prov. 3:11-12] If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate & not sons.”
1Tim. 2:5-7—the apostle Paul of Christ—“For there is one God & one Mediator between God & men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher & an apostle--I am speaking the truth in Christ & not lying--a teacher of the Gentiles in faith & truth.”
Titus 2:1-14—“But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-- that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness & worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, & godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope & glorious appearing of our great God & Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed & purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
Mat. 6:1-4—“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues & in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, “that your charitable deed may be in secret; & your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”
Illustration:
One of our church members, was up here recently, troubleshooting one of our outside security lights/motion sensors that had gone haywire. To my knowledge that person did not get paid for their efforts. But they fixed it regardless.
•That person had to put in the work to make it happen. That person had to drive to a store, &/or multiple stores, &/or order some things online, return items, or whatever, just to replace Salem’s security light. They may have had to read up on or consult with others to find out what makes the system ‘tick’, so they could install the system correctly. The saint solved the problem with little regard for him/herself. MINISTRY with the mind of Christ...
GIVES As JESUS GIVES
*Another example:
It has been over a year since somebody ran off the road & plowed into our Salem Baptist Cemetery. As a result, quite a few headstones were damaged.
•A certain person &/or persons in our church, had to constantly ‘build-a-fire-under’ the insurers, so that our church could have the headstones fixed properly. That person also took of their time to set up the potential repairers.
•Now finally, after all over a year’s time, we were assured that the check from the insurer was in the mail!...& we received it this past week!
It would not have happened without the Christ-like GIVING of members of Salem BC! MINISTRY with the mind of Christ...
GIVES As JESUS GIVES
Application:
?Do YOU, celebrate Christmas & MINISTER with the mind of Christ, by GIVING As JESUS GIVES?
?Are YOU Ministering with the mind of Christ?
?When’s the last time you Gave as Jesus Gave?...
Mat. 5:38-48—“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye & a tooth for a tooth.’ “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you & take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to him who asks you, & from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor & hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, & pray for those who spitefully use you & persecute you, “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil & on the good, & sends rain on the just & on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
...?When’s the last time you ‘went the extra mile’
It’s vital that your actions speak to & enlighten others, of your faith in Jesus.
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
God’s people are EXPECTED to minister WITH the mind of Christ Jesus—the Son of God, The Word of God, our Savior & Lord!....
Action:
Christmas/ MINISTRY: with the mind of Christ...
2. GIVES As JESUS GIVES(:5-8)[Part-2--7b-8 of :5-8]
1. LOVES As JESUS LOVES(:1-4)
2. GIVES As JESUS GIVES(:5-8)[Part-1--5-7a of :5-8]
Pnt# 2-B[Part-2--7b-8 of :5-8]- presented 01/18/2026am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
