MINISTRY: With The MIND Of CHRIST-VI—
—Philippians 2:9-11(2:1-18)
Attention:
There is a young woman on YouTube who has been in the process of making an abandoned single-room cabin livable. The cabin is located somewhere in New Hampshire or Maine.
She is doing the majority of the work to this tiny cabin by herself.
Early on, she had to get an exterminator to stop a raccoon infestation. She has had to rely on a few contractors. One completed the driveway. Another dried in the cabin on the outside. Her Dad has helped her on a very few projects with the house.
BUT, It’s easy to tell that she is unskilled at carpentry on any level. She has had to rely on word-of-mouth & YouTube videos for her ‘skill-learning.’
I don’t watch her video offerings often, but when I do, it’s almost painful for me to watch her blunders, because she is of the ‘measure once, cut twice’ persuasion. And I often wonder if she’s really learning anything. I suspect that she is NOT going to pursue a career in carpentry.
*It seems that she merely thought it would be a simple process to restore a cheaply purchased cabin so she could have a place of her own in the woods, yet without a real plan to achieve it!
The young woman is restoring her cabin with an ineffective ‘skillset’, armed only with a ‘personal ambition to own a house.’ She seems to fit into the category of those who are “loaded down with sins” & “led away by various lusts.” And so she is categorized with those who are “always learning & never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”(2Tim. 3:6-7).
In contrast to her, those who are God’s people are EXPECTED to minister WITH the mind of Christ Jesus, their Savior & Lord! Because in Him alone “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge”(Col. 2:3)....
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/New Year)ministry with the mind of Christ Jesus.
Since Christmas 2025 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, our focus has shifted somewhat, in that we’re discovering that:
‘MINISTRY: With The MIND Of CHRIST’...
1. ‘LOVES As JESUS LOVES’(:1-4)
&
2. ‘GIVES As JESUS GIVES’(:5-8)
....TODAY we’ll also discover that....
3—MINISTRY with the mind of Christ ALSO...
RECEIVES AS JESUS RECEIVES(:9-11)
Explanation:(:9-11)Invites Exaltation in Jesus’ Power
:9—“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him & given Him the name which is above every name,”
Upon Jesus’ death via ‘the Cross’, He was “highly exalted” by God(Heb. 1:3-4). And that “exaltation” came to Jesus’ as a result of His flawless & sinless(Heb. 4:15) obedience(:5-8).
A consequence of Jesus’ exaltation, was His being “given” “the name which is above every name.” His “name” is singularly, the ONLY ONE by which men can be saved(Acts 4:12).
Acts 4:12—“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
•So then, no one can rightly claim, salvation by any other means(Jn. 14:6)!
Jn. 14:6—Jesus to His disciple, Thomas,—“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, & the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Furthermore, no one can rightly claim allegiance to God apart from the revealed Christ of God, Who has come in the flesh(1Jn. 4:2-3).
1Jn. 4:2-3—“By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, & every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, & is now already in the world.”
:10—“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on the earth, and of those under the earth,”
As a result of Jesus’ exaltation(:9), & consequential authority—possessing “the name which is above every name”— “Every knee” will be brought to “bow” before this same Jesus.
Isa. 45:22-23—YHWH-God to Israel—“I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath.”
All people of all time, no matter where they are—whether living “on earth”, or the ‘dead’ in hell(“under the earth”), as well as those living “in heaven”—will all be brought to acknowledge “Jesus” as the Christ...And so, all will openly acknowledge Him as the Son of God(God in human flesh)...And so, all will openly acknowledge the fullness of Almighty God as responsible for the intended salvation of every individual of mankind!
“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” is a “universal acknowledgment of the majesty & power of Jesus who carries his human name & nature to heaven.”—RWP
Rev. 5:11-14—“Then I[John] looked, & I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, & the elders; & the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, & thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power & riches & wisdom, And strength & honor & glory & blessing!” And every creature which is in heaven & on the earth & under the earth & such as are in the sea, & all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing & honor & glory & power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever & ever!” Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down & worshiped Him who lives forever & ever.”
Eph. 1:20-23—of the things,—“which He[God the Father] worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead & seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality & power & might & dominion, & every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, & gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
:11—“and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Absolutely “every tongue” will have no choice but to declare “Jesus” as both “Christ” & “Lord.”
•This ‘final confession’, is not so much a forced or feigned confession, as it will be a confession stemming from an irrefutable & undeniable recognition of the Divine Jesus’ authority in reality!...Whether or not they truly love Him!
Such an acknowledgment will be “to the glory of God the Father.”
•That is, that the salvation of mankind thru Christ alone, has been the foreordained plan of God, from the foundation of the world.
Denying the ‘reality’ of Jesus’ Divinity & authority, by refusing to confess ‘the reality’, is a pitiful attempt at consolation for anyone.
•And that is because the reality of “Jesus” being both “Christ” & “Lord” is part of God’s design & purpose for creation!
•So to deny God’s ‘reality’ & His eternal plan, is a person’s choosing to make an eternally damning exchange!....An exchange of truth, for the lie of Satan!
•Rom. 1:20-25—“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power & Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, & their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, & changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--& birds & four-footed animals & creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, & worshiped & served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
SUMMARY STATEMENTS:
1. God “has highly exalted”(:9) Jesus as His only-begotten & perfectly, faithfully, obedient SON.
2. And in similar fashion, God also exalts or honors those of His MANY CHILDREN, who are ‘faithfully obedient’ THRU their personal faith in the Son as their Savior & Lord.
•Those ‘many children’ are ‘exalted’ in the sense that, they are saved FROM HELL TO HEAVEN thru the shed blood of Jesus the Son.
•The appointment & journey of God’s people to Heaven, is SEALED & GUARANTEED by the Holy Spirit Who indwells them.
3. So those ‘many children’(God’s people) are also ‘exalted’ in the sense that, they are EMPOWERED throughout their lives, to live for God thru the indwelling HOLY SPIRIT.
•They are empowered by willingly surrendering, submitting to, & living their lives within the loving confines/bounds/parameters of God’s will.
•And so the empowerment of God’s people ALSO comes to them thru their personal faith in Jesus!
*And THAT is why verses :9-11!—[READ!]
?Are YOU a true child of God, by faith, in Christ Jesus, the Savior & Lord of your life?
?Are YOU Empowered by the Holy Spirit of God?
?Are YOU sealed, & is it certain & guaranteed, that YOU are bound for heaven?
Argumentation:
Mat. 5:10-12—“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile & persecute you, & say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice & be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Mat. 6:1—“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.”
Mat. 26:36-39, 42, 44—of Jesus’ obedience—“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, & said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go & pray over there.” And He took with Him Peter & the two sons of Zebedee, & He began to be sorrowful & deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here & watch with Me.” He went a little farther & fell on His face, & prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”..... “Again, a second time, He went away & prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”.....“So He left them, went away again, & prayed the third time, saying the same words.”
Prov. 29:23—“A man’s pride will bring him low, But the humble in spirit will retain honor.”
Prov. 18:12—“Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility.”
1Pet. 5:6-11—“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, & settle you. To Him be the glory & the dominion forever & ever. Amen.”
1Cor. 3:11-17—“For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; & the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are the temple of God & that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”
Js. 1:12—“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
1Sam. 15:13-23—“Then Samuel went to Saul, & Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, & the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep & the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; & the rest we have utterly destroyed.” Then Samuel said to Saul, “Be quiet! And I will tell you what the LORD said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak on.” So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel? “Now the LORD sent you on a mission, & said, ‘Go, & utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, & fight against them until they are consumed.’ “Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, & do evil in the sight of the LORD?” And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, & gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, & brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the plunder, sheep & oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.” Then Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings & sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity & idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.”
Lk. 14:7-11—Jesus having been invited by a ruler of the Pharisees to a Sabbath dinner—“So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; “& he who invited you & him come & say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ & then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go & sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, & he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Mat. 23:1-12—“Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes & to His disciples, saying: “The scribes & the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe & do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, & do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, & lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad & enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, & to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, & you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, & he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Heb. 12:1-2—“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.”
1Thes. 4:13-18—“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died & rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive & remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, & with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive & remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
Js. 1:2-4—“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect & complete, lacking nothing.”
1Cor. 9:24-27—“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body & bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”
Illustration:
?When are parents most proud of their child &/or children?...
!When they ‘wisely obey’ their ‘godly’ parents!...
And what a blessing it is, when a child &/or children have taken that godly wisdom to heart in their adult years!
It just makes a parent’s heart swell, when our children acknowledge Jesus’ work in their lives!
•When they find it important to glorify God on their own, without continual parental prodding & enforcement.
•When the decisions made in their lives come together in Christ.
When our children live like that, then they INVITE parental praises. And trusts come easily & abundantly.
RECEIVES AS JESUS RECEIVES
(INVITING EXALTATION As JESUS DOES)!
Application:
?Do YOU, Minister with the mind of Christ, RECEIVING AS JESUS RECEIVES?
?Do YOU Minister with the mind of Christ?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Recall....The young woman restoring her cabin with an ‘ineffective skillset’, armed with only a ‘personal ambition to own a cheap house’, but no desire to properly learn....
God’s people ‘on-the-other-hand’, are EXPECTED to minister at the highest level of wisdom, understanding, & trustworthiness...BECAUSE, they minister WITH The MIND Of CHRIST JESUS, their Savior & Lord!....in Whom alone “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge”(Col. 2:3)....
Action:
MINISTRY: with the mind of Christ...
3. RECEIVES AS JESUS RECEIVES(:9-11)
1. LOVES As JESUS LOVES(:1-4)
2. GIVES As JESUS GIVES(:5-8)
Pnt# 3 only! presented 02/15/2026am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
