The Mind Of Christ

The Mind of Christ

Philippians 2:5-11 (part 1)

Good morning.

T.W. Hunt has a great study on the Mind of Christ that we did previously. Some of our teaching was borrowed from that study.

He said, “Suppose Christ broke through the veil that separates the spiritual from the physical and audibly said to you today,

“I am going to require you to have My mind in all its fullness.

However, I want people to know what a miracle of change I can work, so I am going to reveal to your church what your mind is like right now.

Next Sunday, in your church, I am going to take over the morning service and playback for all to hear every thought you had this last week.”

Would it appall you or delight you if Christ revealed your thoughts?”

One of the things the Lord does for us when He saves us from our sin, is He changes us.

So we are already a New Creation in Christ…

But this change is also a life-long process of being transformed into a new creation as we are being conformed into the image of Christ.

Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. NKJV

The Lord’s desire for His children is to be free from the bondage that comes from the world, our flesh, and the enemy, as we are being transformed, by receiving the Mind of Christ.

Receiving the Mind of Christ is like many other things within our Christian walks. We already have the Mind of Christ, but our minds are also being renewed to have the Mind of Christ.

Paul told the Church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 2:16, For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ. NKJV

The emphasis in 1 Corinthians 2:16 is that we must choose to live in light of the fact that we have the Mind of Christ.

Please open your Bibles to Philippians 2, as we continue in our verse-by-verse study of Paul’s Epistle to the Church at Philippi.

Last time, the portion of Philippians we were in, spoke on how Christians should conduct themselves as citizens of heaven, while here on Earth.

Paul communicated that Christians are Ambassadors for Christ.

The King of Heaven has a message that needs to be delivered, and Paul said believers in Christ are to deliver that message as though God were pleading through them.

Paul said let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel. Paul wanted Christians to be led by the Spirit and to remain in the unity of the faith of the Gospel.

Then Paul mentioned adversaries. Every true Christian has adversaries, as well as a main adversary.

Paul also taught about Like-minded believers.

The secret to maintaining peace within the body of Christ happens by all of its members, having a single-minded focus.

As followers of Christ, we must always check the motivation of our hearts and constantly ask ourselves why we do, what we do.

Today, we will have part one of a series on seven verses the Apostle Paul wrote as he was inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Some commentators refer to these seven verses in Philippians 2:5-11 as a hymn or a poem written by the Apostle Paul.

This hymn is a challenge for Christ-followers to live for Christ as Paul offered the most important reasons to have the Mind of Christ, by showing us the identity of our humble Christ.

This hymn tells us to have the Mind of Christ, and there is also a specific breakdown of the character of Jesus.

Read Philippians 2:5-11

There is enough Theology in these seven verses to spend ten lifetimes explaining them.

So, this study is by no means an exhaustive study, but rather, it scratches the surface of the hidden gems found in these verses.

I. Having the right mind.

Read Philippians 2:5

Paul instructed Christians to have the same Mind of Christ which means to have the same attitude Jesus had towards His life and situation.

Let this mind be in you or let this attitude be in you…

Warren Wiersbe said, “Outlook determines outcome. If the outlook is selfish, the actions will be divisive and destructive.”

Some Christians admire the attitude Jesus had as He submitted to the plan of the Father, but Paul instructed believers to not only admire Christ’s mind but, to have the same mind as well.

Having the Mind of Christ means we agree with Christ’s perspective, His will, and we have the same goals as Jesus as well.

Paul didn’t list the qualities of the mind of Christ in these verses. But by reading this passage in context, as well as other verses in scripture, we can find some qualities of the mind of Christ.