Turn with me, if you would, to Romans chapter 15. Romans chapter 15, again, lesson number 7 on the mind of Christ. Let this mind be in us, which was also in Christ Jesus. That's the central theme which would be out of Philippians 2 verse 5. Tonight we're going to look at a characteristic or attribute of Christ that we are to imitate, we are to duplicate, and it's tough.

We don't do it very often. I don't think, maybe me. Romans 15 verses 1, 2, and 3. We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. And this first half of this verse three is our text. For even Christ pleased not himself. Even Christ pleased not himself. We're gonna look at the unselfishness of Christ and this mind ought to be in us.

But as an introductory comment, our attitude is not natural. This attitude, I'm sorry, this attitude of not thinking about self, it's not natural. This is what we do. I should say it is natural to us from birth. Apart from grace, our maxim What we suggest and what we do is, and you don't have to turn there, but in Philippians 2 verse 21, for all seek their own. All seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ. That's our maxim. That's what we live by.

When Adams fell in the garden, that's us. That's us now. There are some very gracious people. Henry used to say there's people that live more graciously than even people who understand grace. The old nature just keeps coming back and the old nature, the primary objective is self. So let's talk about our nature. Our nature. Selfishness is the great law of our degenerate nature. It is. It is. It just is. In the garden, when Adam fell into sin, the love of God was dethroned and vacated from the human heart. And then self vaulted itself and occupied and now reigns therein. Self. Self does.

How often do we pamper Even believers, how often do we pamper this flesh and make new promises to satisfy the grand idol self? Matthew 24 says the love of many, Christ said the love of many is waxing cold. And I suspect self is the main culprit. Why is the love of many waxing cold? I suspect self is the main culprit.

We often wish we had more, conversely wishing our neighbor perhaps had less. We're trying to reinvent or reestablish our own reputation. We're constantly concerned. And I know out of Ecclesiastes, we ought to be concerned. But this, I'm not, this is over-concerned. This is, you know, I don't say anything, do anything, make sure people see me. To be seen of men, that's self. Jealousy, envy, promoting ourselves, it's all contrary to the life and mind and attitude of Christ.

We have to be constant. Somebody used the illustration about a garden. If you just let the garden go, what's going to come up there naturally? Weeds. So if you don't do anything, you may have some fruit, and it may be, it's not going to be very successful, it may be smaller because of competition, all these other things. So it has to be weeded constantly, and that's done by the grace of God.

That's by taking the mind of Christ, that's by meditating. I was reading somebody, some old writer, and he said that was his problem in his congregation. People don't meditate on the Word of God. Because when you meditate, you assimilate, and you become more like what you think. And he said the eagle's meditation, he thought it was the great lack of the century. His lack of meditation. Not only reading the Word, but you read the Word. And I hate to say it this way, because it was abused. It's like cows. They chew the cud, and they don't swallow it. They just keep working at it, and working it. getting the nutrients.

That's what we ought to do. That's what the mind of Christ, and it's only done by Holy Spirit conviction, Holy Spirit, but there's means of grace. There's coming to hear the gospel, being reminded of Christ, shutting the world out. Come and close the world. Don't be thinking about this or that or what's going on or what's going to happen. I didn't tell Nathan to pick that out, but perfect. Forget about yourself, concentrate on Him, and worship Him. And that's what we try to do when we gather here together. It doesn't matter who's up here. We promote, we preach, we teach Christ. What does our card say? Nothing more, nothing less, and nothing else. Christ, and that's good.

Now let's look at Christ's nature. As we're to have His mind, Let's look at his nature. Well, as I said back in our text, for even Christ pleased not himself. Just remember that, even Christ pleased not himself. Jesus stands as one worthy of imitation.

His entire life was one of not my will but thine. Not my will but thine. And I find myself praying this more often You pray for people, you pray for things, and instead of having to remove this or do that, I'll be praying, wait a second, not my will but thine. Submit to his will. Lord, if you save this person, what a glorious testimony that'll be to your grace. Not to my preaching, but to your grace. His entire life was not my will, but thine be done, and that's found in Luke 22. He did not seek his own welfare, but others before himself. A couple examples, he spread the table for others who had followed him into the wilderness.

Matthew 14, let's look at Matthew 14 for a minute. In contrary to what his disciples, you remember what they said, send them away, send them away. That's us. There'll be more for us. Matthew chapter 14 and verse 15. And when it was, Matthew 14, verse 15, and when it was evening, his disciples came to Christ saying, this is a desert place and the time now has passed.

Send the multitude away. that they may go into the villages and buy themselves vittles. But Jesus said unto them, they need not depart. Give ye them to eat. Well, he did the same thing, turned over one chapter, Matthew chapter 15, and in verse 32, Once he fed the others, then Jesus called his disciples unto him and said, I have compassion, hmm, I have compassion on the multitude because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat and I will not send them away fasting lest they fain in the way. Just tell them to sit down.

So there's two different situations, both the mind of Christ is The mind of Christ is even Christ pleased, not himself. When he was about to be taken captive in the garden, do you remember what he said? And you don't have to turn there, but John 18 and verse eight, he was the one getting taken and the soldiers were around and the soldiers could have taken them all. What did Christ say? Take me, let these go their way.

That's considering somebody else, not himself. Twice, we read in the gospels, we read of Christ shedding tears, neither were for himself. One, if you're willing to learn there, turn there, but John 11 in verse 35, Jesus, or Lazarus had died. He wept, just said one, Jesus wept. And then in Luke 19, he's standing over the city of Jerusalem. Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. And he said, wept, wept for the city twice. Both of them were for someone else. And even in his hour of torment, he seeks the welfare and comfort of his mother. In John 19, you remember when he said, points to his disciples, here's your mother, take care of her. He's on the cross, he's dying.

Oh, to have the mind of Christ, pleasing not ourselves, thinking not of ourselves. And like I say, am I qualified? No. Am I worthy? No. But the Scriptures, they're going to go forth. You know, if the Lord closes my mouth, someone else come up here and tell about Christ. Tell about Christ.

Now, lastly, or thirdly, let us press to be as our master, our brother, and our friend. Now, I think this is interesting. Turn to Luke chapter five. Let us be as our brethren, who don't think about themselves, and as our master, as we just looked at our master. Let me give you an example of one of the apostles, Matthew. Let's turn to Luke chapter five. Luke chapter five and verse 29.

And Levi, Matthew, made a great feast in his own house. And there was great company of publicans and others that sat down with him. So Matthew is given his great feast. And this is recorded in Luke. Luke and Matthew, you won't find it. You won't find it. He didn't draw attention to himself. I think that's very revealing. Levi made Christ a great feast in his own house and there was a lot of people and we would be talking about it. Not Matthew. Not Matthew. So let us emulate our brother. Let us emulate our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even small acts of kindness or charity and concern, it can go a long way. I mean, I don't know how many times I can tell you, you know, come in here and not being in the best of mood or something, and then somebody's got a smile on their face, you know, Tara's got a smile on her face, playing the piano, whatever it might be, and it just brightens your day. Just brightens your day. Just something small.

Not considering yourselves. Let's turn to 1 Corinthians 13. I want to read this whole thing. Every time I read this or look at this, and I was going to look at it this morning, today, and I forgot, kept forgetting, and didn't do it. But I want to look at what one particular commentator says about this. I'm just going to read it. It's a great chapter in charity. Let's see what it says about not pleasing self.

It is said, Paul writes to the Corinthians, though I speak with the tongues of men and angels and have not charity, I've become a sounding brass, a tinkling cymbal. Basically, if I know doctrine, if I know church order, if I know church orthodoxy, if I know all these things, but I don't know Christ, who is love, I'm just talking, I'm not acting. And though I have the gift of prophecy, that's pretty important, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and I have all faith, so that I can remove mountains. If I don't have charity, I'm nothing. I'm nothing.

Verse 3 of 1 Corinthians 13, And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned and have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long, is kind, envies not, doesn't vaunt itself, is not puffed up, it doesn't behave itself unseemly, it seeks not her own, pleased others, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil, rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, charity or love never fails.

But whether there be prophecies, they shall fail. Whether there be tongues, they shall cease. Whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away, for we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, That which is in part shall be done away.

When I was a child, I spake as a child. I understood as a child. I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. The new man created after the image of Christ. For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face, now I know in part, but then I shall know even as also I am known. And now by the faith, hope, charity, these three, but the greatest of these is love.

I think when we met after we were totally destroyed, Years ago, when me and Melinda and Bruce and Jackie met Henry Mahan down at Madisonville to go hear him preach, I think that's what he was saying. He was talking to us and we, what happened over there? We told him what happened and mess and that, and he just said, you need to, and I remember him writing it out with his fingers. He says, you need to practice L-O-V-E.

And it's tough because self, self. I close with this, may we seek to live under the constant influence of the constraining love of Christ. Asking our Heavenly Father to have the very mind of Christ in all walks of life. Not just when we come, you know, we're not playing church or religion. All walks of life. Now I quote, I wrote this quote down, selfishness withers and fades under the scenes of Calvary and a crucified Christ.

Now, this, I told this to David Pledger and he was silent. He didn't say anything. He said, that's powerful. I'd never seen it. Look, this thought about this, but Macduff flips it upside down. I want to leave you with this thought. Just think about this. Think about this. It's the last note I want us to think about and have the mind of Christ. Think on this, brethren.

Where would you and I be if our Redeemer and our Savior pleased Himself only? Where would we be? There'd be no salvation. You'd get out of town, whatever. Think about it. muse upon it, where would we be if Christ pleased himself only? May God be pleased and honored to move us by the grace of God. Bruce, would you close this?