MINISTRY With The MIND Of CHRIST-IX
—Philippians 2:15-18[part-3 of :12-18](2:1-18)
Attention:
Such A Nice Boy:
One evening, an older teenage girl(Barbara) excitedly waits for her new boyfriend to pick her up at home, where he will meet her parents for the first time.
The parents were appalled by his appearance: He drove up on a trashed out Harley, which they could hear thruout the neighborhood, Sported a WW-I style German army helmet complete with a spike on top & a German ‘iron cross’ emblazoned on the front & back. He had two Swastika tattoos, one on each forearm, & a chain attached to his ear on one side & connected to the same side of his nose.
He gets off the Harley, hangs his helmet on the three pronged ‘devil’s pitchfork’ backrest.
Without introducing himself, & with a smug attitude & tone, he says, ‘Tell yer little girl that her man’s here.’
The parents quickly pull their daughter aside & voice their concerns. Dad said, “While I’m alive, you’ll NEVER go on a date with with the likes of that guy!” Barbara’s mother a little more diplomatically said, “Dear,” “He doesn't seem very nice.”
Barbara rolls her eyes & replies to her parents, “Oh please, If he wasn't nice boy, why else would he be doing 500 hours of community service?”
Proper direction is elusive for many people!
Decisions made in ignorance are very poor decisions!
God’s people, individually & gathered as the Church, are EXPECTED to minister with the highest level of wisdom, understanding, & trustworthiness...WITH The MIND Of CHRIST JESUS, their Savior & Lord!....in Whom 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 ministry with the mind of Christ Jesus.
So far in our study of Php. 2:1-18, we’ve found that:
‘MINISTRY: With The MIND Of CHRIST’...
1. ‘LOVES As JESUS LOVES’(:1-4)
2. ‘GIVES As JESUS GIVES’(:5-8)
3. ‘RECEIVES AS JESUS RECEIVES’(:9-11)
4. DEMONSTRATES A CHRIST-EMPOWERED WALK(:12-18)[parts-1 & 2--:12-14]
....TODAY we’ll continue looking into verses :12-18, where we’ll find that....
(CONT...)4—MINISTRY with the mind of Christ...
DEMONSTRATES A CHRIST-EMPOWERED WALK(:12-18)
[Part-3--:15-18]
:15—“that you may become blameless & harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked & perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,”
*For God’s Church—gathered believers—to openly “complain” & “dispute”(:14) among themselves, is a sure sign of their being worthy of “blame”, “harmful”, & at “fault”, in regard to living out their faith(:12)!
•“Blameless/Unblameable”—amemptov—Adj. Nominative Plural Masc.—1) Blameless, deserving no censure, free from fault or defect. Amemptov is strictly unblamed, one with whom no fault is found. This of course refers particularly to the verdict of others upon one. Strong—Irreproachable. Used 5X--Lk. 1:6; Php. 2:15; Php. 3:6; 1Thes. 3:13; Heb. 8:7.?From—A(as a negative particle).—& a derivative of—memfomai—To blame; middle voice of an apparently primary verb.
•“Harmless/Innocent/Pure/Simple”(no ulterior motive)—akeraiov—Adj. Nominative Plural Masc.—1) Unmixed, pure as in wines or metals; 2) of the mind--Without a mixture of evil, free from guile, innocent, simple. Akeraiov also means simple, literally free from any foreign admixture, unadulterated, free from disturbing elements. Strong—Unmixed, i.e. figuratively--Innocent. Used 3X--Mat. 10:16; Rom. 16:19; Php. 2:15.?From—A(as a negative particle).—& a presumed derivative of—kerannumi—To mix, mingle; To pour out(for drinking).
•“Without Fault/Without Rebuke/Above Reproach/Unblameable”—amwmhtov—Lit. = ‘lack of flaw or blot’—Adj. Nominative Plural Neuter—1)That cannot be censured, blameless. Strong—Unblameable. Used 2X--Php. 2:15; 2Pet. 3:14.?From—A(as a negative particle).—& a derivative of—mwmaomai—To to carp at, i.e. Censure(discredit). From--mwmov—A flaw or blot, i.e. figuratively--Disgraceful person.
When a person is “blameworthy”, “harmful”, & at “fault”, in regard to their Christian faith,...such a testimony results in the ‘quenching’, ‘blanketing’, ‘covering’, or hiding of God’s “light.”....
•And God’s “light” is INTENDED to bring about the salvation of “the world”!
•Jn. 8:12—“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.””
•So IF God’s “light” that God’s people—Christians, are offered thru Christ Jesus,....IF that “light” is HIDDEN, THEN God’s own people—you & me, have become supportive of, share-in, & contribute to, the same mentality as the “crooked & perverse generation” of “the world”!The very “world” that God WANTS to save!
•Acts 13:10—a Jewish sorcerer named Elymas & ‘Bar-Jesus’, Paul rebuked saying,—“...will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?”
“Crooked”—skoliov—Adj. Genitive Sing. Fem.—1) Crooked, curved; 2) metaph.—2a) Perverse, wicked, 2b) Unfair, surly, froward. Strong—Warped, i.e. Winding; figuratively--Perverse[morally]. Used 4X--Lk. 3:5; Acts 2:40; Php. 2:15; 1Pet. 2:18.?English = ‘Scoliosis’.
“Perverse”—diastrefw—Perfect Passive Participle - Genitive Sing. Fem.—Lit. = ‘twist thoroughly’—1) To distort, turn aside—1a) To oppose, plot against the saving purposes & plans of God; 2) To turn aside from the right path, to pervert, corrupt. Strong—To distort, i.e. figuratively--Misinterpret, or morally--Corrupt. Used 7X.?English = ‘Distrophy’; ‘Muscular Distrophy’.?From—dia—1) Through—1a) of place—1a1) With, 1a2) In, 1b) of time—1b1) Throughout, 1b2) During, 1c) of means—1c1) By, 1c2) By the means of; 2) Through—2a) The ground or reason by which something is or is not done—2a1) By reason of, 2a2) On account of, 2a3) Because of for this reason, 2a4) Therefore, 2a5) On this account. Strong—a primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through(in very wide applications, local, causal, or occasional).—&—strefw—To twist, i.e. Turn quite around or reverse(literally or figuratively).
Those who are “crooked & perverse” are ‘OF’ “the world.” Such people are in agreement with “the world’s” false ‘god’ &/or ‘gods’! And so they support “the world’s” ungodly mentality & mindset.
•They STAND IN NEED of observing, witnessing, & experiencing the true, untainted “light” of Jesus Christ that is in YOU!...And that is why God put us in their midst!
•Mat. 5:14-16—Jesus said,—““You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp & put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, & it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works & glorify your Father in heaven.”
•The “crooked & perverse” need to experience the “unblameable” innocence of children of God”, so that they too, might become “blameless & harmless children of God without fault” “in the world”, as do individual Christians & the gathered Church, who are knowledgable of & exercise ‘the straight way’!
•Col. 1:21-23—“And you, who once were alienated & enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, & blameless, & above reproach in His sight-- if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded & steadfast, & are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.”
•1Pet. 2:11-12—“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”
:16—“holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
*Those among God’s people who “shine as lights in the world”(:15), are those who “hold fast” to “the word of life.”
Ps. 119:11—“Your[YHWH God’s] word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You!”
2Tim. 2:15—“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
•Every believer’s faithfulness to “the word of life” is the ‘tell-tale’ evidence that Paul had openly & faithfully shared God’s truth with the Philippians...& with other churches.
•And those of the other churches, in turn, have thru the ages, shared “the word of life” with the world.
Thru the Church’s faithfulness in “holding fast” to “the word of life”, the apostle Paul himself is enabled to “rejoice”, or “boast” or “glory” “in the day of Christ”—that is, when Christ returns.
•The Philippian’s faithfulness to “the word of life” would be the fruit &/or evidence that would LEGITIMIZE the apostle Paul’s efforts in Christ.
The Church’s “holding fast” to “the word of life”, was the ‘fruit’ or proof that Paul had “not run” or “labored in vain.”
•So, for the C/church of God to be spiritually unproductive in the world of lost sinners(:15), would mean that the apostle’s efforts had been taken lightly, & wasted as being “vain”, empty, & useless.
1Thes. 3:1-8—Paul related,—“Therefore, when we could no longer endure it, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, & sent Timothy, our brother & minister of God, & our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you & encourage you concerning your faith, that no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, & you know. For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, & our labor might be in vain. But now that Timothy has come to us from you, & brought us good news of your faith & love, & that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you—therefore, brethren, in all our affliction & distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.”
1Thes. 2:19-20—Paul said,—“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory & joy.”
*We all want to know that our work/“labor” in the Lord is worthy of God’s approval & reward. It is ‘self-defeating’ & ‘spiritually bankrupting’ to do otherwise.
In fact, NO ONE TRULY wants to know that all that they have expended great effort towards, & poured-their-life into, has been of NO USE to themselves & others!
•NO ONE wants to suppose that their life has been lived “in vain” & so, full of regret!
•And so, no faithfully & sincerely laboring Christian ever supposes that their answer to God’s call upon their life, has been useless!
:17—“Yes, & if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice & service of your faith, I am glad & rejoice with you all.”
:17a—“Yes, & if...”
Paul is satisfied that he has faithfully & obediently served God, WHETHER it is Paul’s last day of service, OR WHETHER God has more for him...And so should you be opened & sensitive to God’s will for you!
:17b—“...I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice & service of your faith,”
The “drink offering” was the complementary, completing, & culminating, “sacrificial” act of offerings made to God, under the Jewish sacrificial system.
God had called Paul to “pour” himself “out” by expending his every labor thru “sacrifice & service” in order to secure the true “faith” of the Philippian Christians.
•God has called you to do the same! Though it may be thru a different means, a different giftedness, & with different but specific results, in & for the Kingdom of God.
:17c—“...I am glad & rejoice with you all.”
•The Philippian’s faithfulness to God thru Christ, drew-out the apostle Paul’s great personal “gladness.”
•Thru the Philippian’s obvious faithfulness, Paul was able to realize & see the result of the labors God had called him to.
•As a result of Paul’s faithfulness to live out his calling, he was in turn, able to be “glad”, & so to “rejoice with” all those who had faithfully received Paul’s apostleship.
“Paul regarded his own life as a sacrifice in the interests of the spiritual advancement of” the Church, including “the Philippian believers.”—Homer A. Kent, Jr. in EBC(1978)
God’s people can sometimes get ‘down-right’ despondent in their service to Him. That happens when we don’t perceive ‘fruit’ for our labor.
•We wrangle & twist & turn, & do our best in God’s power. We change ‘this way’ of ministering, or we tweak ‘that way’ of ministering.
•The reality is, you & I have to be FAITHFUL, DESPITE a lack of visible ‘fruit’....We MUST remain FAITHFUL, thru the hardships, & the lean times!
•That is why each of us has to be absolutely certain of our standing with God at all times! That is why we need each other as the Body of Christ.
:18—“For the same reason you also be glad & rejoice with me.”
As a result of the success of Paul’s ‘sacrificial service’(:16-17) for the sake of the Philippian’s faith, he now encourages & exhorts THEM to “be glad” in themselves, for Paul’s service to them.
Paul was faithful to present & represent the Good News of life in Christ, to the church at Philippi.
•“And” so, the church should supernaturally “rejoice with” Paul in thankfulness for the comfort of God’s sovereign faithfulness toward them thru Christ Jesus.
The church’s “rejoicing” was & IS a result of the “gladness” that was & IS ‘residing’ in the hearts of those of the Philippian church, as well as in every place where the love for & service in Christ is truly lived out.
Argumentation:
Eph. 4:1-6—I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness & gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body & one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God & Father of all, who is above all, & through all, & in you all.”
1Thes. 2:10-13—“You are witnesses, & God also, how devoutly & justly & blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; as you know how we exhorted, & comforted, & charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom & glory. For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.”
Col. 1:3-12—“We give thanks to the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus & of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, & is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard & knew the grace of God in truth; as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, & to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom & spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work & increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience & longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.”
1Thes. 4:1-12—“Finally then, brethren, we urge & exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more & more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk & to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification & honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of & defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you & testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit. But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; & indeed you do so toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more & more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, & to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, & that you may lack nothing.”
Illustration:
*An immigrant who chooses to observe & abide in the lawfulness of his/her country/kingdom FROM WHICH they immigrated, RATHER THAN taking to heart & abiding in the lawfulness of the country or kingdom they immigrated TO.
Such actions demonstrate that the immigrant is NOT operating within an acceptable level of accountability to the country where they live.
•God’s people must operate on a repentant & devoted level of accountability to the Almighty God of our salvation.
DEMONSTRATES A CHRIST-EMPOWERED WALK
?Whose kingdom does YOUR ‘kingdom work’ honor?...
...the kingdom of Self or the Kingdom of God?
Application:
?Do YOU, Minister with the mind of Christ, DEMONSTRATING A CHRIST-EMPOWERED WALK?
?Do YOU Minister with the mind of Christ?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Recall...Barbara’s reply to her Mother & Father’s concern about her not so nice’ boyfriend?--“Oh please, Mom, If he wasn't nice, why else would he be doing 500 hours of community service?”
Proper direction is elusive for many people!
Decisions made in ignorance are very poor decisions!
On the other hand, GOD’s people, are to minister at the highest level of wisdom, understanding, & trustworthiness...WITH The MIND Of CHRIST JESUS, in Whom alone “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge”(Col. 2:3)....
Action:
MINISTRY: with the mind of Christ...
4. DEMONSTRATES A CHRIST-EMPOWERED WALK(:12-18)
[Part-3--:15-18]
1. LOVES As JESUS LOVES(:1-4)
2. GIVES As JESUS GIVES(:5-8)
3. RECEIVES AS JESUS RECEIVES(:9-11)
4. DEMONSTRATES A CHRIST-EMPOWERED WALK(:12-18)
[Part-1--:12-13]
4. DEMONSTRATES A CHRIST-EMPOWERED WALK(:12-18)
[Part-2--:14]
Pnt# 4--2:12-18[Part-3--:15-18] presented 03/08/2026am to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
