The Mind Of Jesus
Phil 2:5-8
Intro.
When Paul spoke of the mind of Christ he was talking about becoming more like Christ by changing our attitude to begin with. We are to treat others as Christ did. If we feel we are too important, then we must understand that Christ Jesus was more important than we are.
If we feel we have too much to give up think about what Jesus had to surrender for you and I. He was not mere man but the sovereign holy God of the universe. Both John and Paul declared him to be the creator of all things. John said, “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:3
And the Apostle Paul said in his letter to Collose, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Col 1:16-17
We aren’t talking about a man with nothing to lose, but an incarnate God who gave up much of his glory:
I. The Glory Of Christ:
We find that Christ had more to give up than you and I could ever imagine. He left the adoration of angels to stand before an angry mob that cried out, “crucify him, crucify him.” This may shock you and I but he knew where it was going from before the foundation of the world.
“Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,” 1 Pet 1:18-20
Calvary was not a surprise to Jesus he lived beneath the shadow of the cross his whole life here on earth. You and I know that there will be a day when we die but I believe Jesus knew the exact time, the hour, the very moment, and all the sufferings that came with it.
He left the beauties of heaven to meet with beastly brutes from hell; he who knew no sin became sin for you and I. Remember the song, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord,” yes we were there in type, we are guilty of driving cruel nails through those wonderful hands that had done no evil.
He had enjoyed all the coronations of heaven and he traded that for the cruelty of that old rugged cross. Can we actually stand and say I have too much to give up for the Lord? He traded the wealth of heaven for the poverties of life.
He left his throne to bear our cross, are we too busy to honor him? He gave up a palace in heaven to sleep in a manger of straw. Angels worshipped and adored him night and day, he gave this up to be cursed and spat upon.
He was willing to be forsaken by the Father that you and I would never be forsaken. He faced the noonday darkness that you and I might continue to walk in the light.
“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” Phil 2:6,7
He being the very God of the very God was willing to give all this up to travel to Calvary. I don’t understand a love this great but he said I should feel this type love for my brother and sister in the Lord.
Another translation of the text reads:
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!”
Max Lucado’s book, “Would you do what Jesus did? He swapped a spotless castle for a grimy stable. He exchanged the worship of angels for the company of killers.
If you were God would you sleep on straw, nurse on a breast and be clothed in a diaper? I wouldn’t but Christ did.
If you knew that only a few would care that you came, would you still come? If you knew those you loved would laugh in your face, would you still care? If you knew that that the tongues you made would mock you, the mouths you made would spit upon you, the hands you made would crucify you, would you still make them?
He humbled himself. He went from commanding angels to sleeping in the straw. From holding stars to clutching Mary’s finger. The palm that held the universe took the nail of a soldier.
When we ask ourselves why, the answers from God’s holy word rings out, because he loved you. The song says, “Oh the love that drew salvations plan, and oh the grace that brought it down to man.”
II. His Willingness To Serve:
Although he was God he was willing to step down to earth to serve mankind. To actually live in poverty, to do without the luxeries of life to serve you and I. These verses stand as a stark reminder that we do fall short of the target God has set for us.
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Rom 3:23
The meaning here is we have fallen short of the target. Like an arrow that is fired and on it’s way toward the target, on line for a bullseye but it falls just short of reaching the target.
God knew our nature would be to slow down and coast rather than continuing to run the race (Story I had heard)
Ill. A black preacher told of how his brother had run track when he was a teenager. The day of the track meet which was several miles from their hometown. The father could not attend due to his work schedule. When he came in that evening he asked his boy how he had done in the meet, to which the boy had replied I came in last.
The father was sympathetic and told the boy that there had to be losers as well as winners, about that time his younger brother said, “He quit daddy he didn’t finish the race.” He knew his brother had dropped out about halfway through the race. The man said his father loaded his brother in the car and drove to the place of the track meet and put him out on the track and told him, “Son you’re going to finish that race, I don’t care if you come in last but you will finish the race.” He said his brother had never quit on anything from that day forward.
When we observe the practice of footwashing it is to humble our hearts that we might learn to serve others. Jesus Christ creator of all things was willing to bow down at the feet of his apostles and to perform the service of the lowliess slave washing their feet. You and I go through the motions but are we truly humbled.
Jesus seemed to enjoy the company of the poor and the down trodden, although he dealt with some that were rich Zaccheus and the rich young ruler, but mainly he walked with the poor, and he healed the sick. He gave sight to the blind and was willing to touch a hideous leper and cleanse him.
It was as if he delighted in bypassing the healthy and the wealthy to touch the poor and the sick. It was amazing that he could forgive the prostitute that his law condemned. Showing you and I, that we deserved condemnation, but his grace intervened. “Let he that is without sin cast the first stone.”
Oft times we find ourselves as guilty as the Pharisees wanting to condemn those that have sinned, and if we stop and investigate our own heart we find ourselves guilty before God. Here again if we could have the mind or attitude of Christ how different we would be.
III. His Willingness To Die: John 13:34
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
Eph 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;”
We want to question God and ask how much should I love someone who doesn’t seem to love me? Just as much as Christ loved you and I.
How much was that? “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom 5:6-8
During the war there were men that had jumped on live grenades to protect their buddys. Whether this was instinct or love for one another we can’t say, but Jesus says that our brothers and sisters should mean this much to us.
