Turn to Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2. The mind
of Christ in you. The mind of Christ in you. That's what I want for myself.
That's what I want for you. It's for us to have the mind
of Christ in us. Paul, in chapter 2, he starts out here with this
big word, if. That's not a question. He's not putting a question mark
on their sincerity or their salvation. He's using this word, if, as
a way of argument. And he uses it four times. in
this one verse. If there be, therefore, any consolation
in Christ, if there is any real, genuine hope in the Lord Jesus
Christ, if you have that, you've been given that by the grace
of God. And if there's any comfort of
love, His love, that you find some real comfort in the love
of God for you in Christ. You have a sense of it. You have
been able to enjoy something of His love for you. If any fellowship
of the Spirit, to be able to truly, in the Spirit, worship
Him in spirit and in truth, And if any vows and mercies, that
is, if you have any real affections toward him and toward one another,
then fulfill ye my joy, complete ye my joy, that ye be like-minded,
having the same love, being of one accord. I don't know that there's anything
in this life more beautiful than a family that gets along. Harmony. Harmony. Same love. You love one another. You love the same Lord. You love
the same Gospel. Paul said, and being of one accord,
of one mind, of one mind to serve God, to serve His glory, to worship
Him, to exalt His Son? Is that not one mind? Is that not the one mind we want
and desire? Let nothing be done through strife
or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others,
brag on others better than you brag on yourself. Think of others
better than you think of yourself. You see, in the natural realm,
it's totally the opposite. It's totally opposite. We promote
ourselves. In this flesh, in the natural
realm, we promote ourselves. We brag on ourselves. We boast
about ourselves. But in the spiritual realm, it's
the opposite. Totally opposite. We think of
others And we esteem others better than ourselves. And he says,
And look not every man on his own things, taking care of his
own self first, but every man also on the things
of others, taking care of one another, like a family, looking
after one another. Now let this mind be in you which
was also in Christ Jesus. Let this mind, this attitude,
someone said attitude is everything. I realize this. What we get out
of the worship service and what we do in the worship service
has a whole lot to do with our attitude when we come to this
service. a whole lot to do with our attitude. Let this attitude,
let this mind of humility in serving, he was glad to serve,
anxious to serve, ready to serve. As we saw this morning, the householder
went out weaned early, early, up and at it early. Ready to
serve. Let this mind of obedience be
in you. This mind of this attitude, this
humility, this obedience. He said it is my need to do the
will of Him that sent me. That's what He lived for. To
do the will of His Father. Ready to do it. Excited about
doing it. That's what He lived for. And
let this mind, this willingness be in you. He was willing to lay down His
life for the sheep. No man takes my life from me.
I lay it down of myself. That's willingness. He went to
the cross willingly. He was beaten willingly. He was
crucified willingly. Oh, to have such a willing mind.
Let this mind be where? In you. You know, only what's
in you is real. Only what's in you is real. And
he said, let this mind be in you. In other words, cultivate
it. Seek it. How can I have such a mind in
me? I'm talking about those who believe.
I'm talking to those who believe. Prayer. Ask the Lord for it. He said you have not because
you've asked not. Just simply ask. Sit under sound
gospel preaching. I don't know of any other way
that this mind that Paul's speaking of here can be developed in you,
in me, other than this, sitting under the gospel on a regular
basis. It's amazing what it will do
for you. It's amazing what it will do. Let it be in you. Study the Word. Don't just open the book when
you come here or when I come here, but open it at home. Study
the Word and study Christ as you study the Word. Look for
Him. He said, take my yoke upon you
and learn of Me. Look for Him. Look for Him in
all the Scriptures. Look for Him in all your reading.
Look for Him. He's the key of knowledge. He's
the key of opening up the Scriptures. Look for Him. And He's given
here as our example. You know, Christ is our substitute.
Christ is our sacrifice. Christ is our wisdom. He's our
redemption. He's our sanctification. He's
our righteousness. He's our example. He's our example. This mind was in the Son of God. Now listen, this mind of humility,
this mind of serving, this mind of willingness was where? Where
was it found? Where was it found in perfection? In the Son of
God. That's where it was found. And
it was real, it was not fake. You ever do something that you
really didn't want to do? I have. I've done things that
I really would rather not done or rather not do. He never did
a thing that he did not want to do and was not willing to
do and ready to do. Everything he did, he didn't
do anything dreaded. You dread doing anything tomorrow? Even the cross. He said He set
His face like a flint to go to Jerusalem. He was willing and
ready and anxious to go to the cross and get the job done and
finish the work. Anxious to do it. And being in the form of God.
You see, here's the one He's speaking of. One who is one with
God. I wish I could put that into
words, but this is God. When the Jews saw Him, they didn't
think God would look like that. That's why they rejected Him.
God wouldn't look like that. He wouldn't be poor. He wouldn't
be meek. He wouldn't be that lowly. He
wouldn't be born into poverty. Well, He was. He was. Being in the form of God, He
thought it not robbery. To be equal with God. To be one
with God Almighty. He is. And the reason why is
because He is God. He's God incarnate. He's God
in every way. God in every attribute. God in
essence. He's God. He's God. And He thought it not robbery
to be equal with God, yet He made Himself of no reputation. Now, do you know anyone that
could do that? Do you know anyone that if they
had the power that He possessed and the glory that He possessed,
do you know anyone that wouldn't make something out of that? I
don't. It's hard enough with what little
talents and stuff we've got to not brag about it, not boast
about it, not set it out front. But this is God. This man is
the God-man, yet he made himself of no reputation. Look over in 2 Corinthians chapter
8. He made himself of no reputation. 2 Corinthians chapter 8. Look in verse 9. For ye know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, all things are His. Did He not say, If I were hungry,
I wouldn't tell you? I own the cattle on a thousand
hills. He didn't just say, I own a thousand
cattle on a hill. No. He said, I own the cattle
on a thousand hills. I own them all. That's what he
was saying. He was rich beyond measure. Yet for your sakes,
for your sakes, for the sake of God's elect, he became poor,
born into poverty. You would think that the Son
of God When coming into this world,
becoming carnate, he'd be born in a palace, not a manger, not
a cow stall. He became poor that you, through
his poverty, might be rich. Oh my, let that mind be in you.
Let that mind be in you. Don't be afraid of that. He made
himself of no reputation. He did not try to get a name
for himself. He didn't come into this world
to try and get a name for himself. Not at all. That's not why he
came. He says in one place, he knew what was in man. That's
why he didn't commit himself to man. Because he knew what
was in man. He knew the sinfulness that was
in the heart of men. He did not seek their approval. The Son of God did not come into
this world to seek our approval. He came to die. He came to save. He came to redeem. He came on
a mission. He came to fetch some sinners.
That's what He came for. Not to get our applause, but to save. He denied Himself. He became
for. And it was not beneath him to
serve. He made himself with no reputation.
He took upon him the form of a servant. You know, I said he
took upon him the form of a slave. That's what that word means.
He took upon him the form of a slave. I want you to turn over to John
13. John, the Gospel of John. This is our God. This is our
Lord. This is the one we want to follow
after and be like. John 13, verse 2, And supper
being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas
Iscariot Simon's son to betray him, Jesus knowing that the Father
had given all things into His hands, all things are in His
hands, and that He was come from God and He went to God. But now listen, He rises from
supper. What's He going to do? Exalt
Himself? Is He going to give Himself a
name here? He rises from supper. He laid aside his garments. He
stripped himself. He stripped himself. And he took
a towel and he girded himself like a servant, like a slave.
This is our Lord. This is our God. This is our
Redeemer. He girded himself and after that
he poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash his disciples'
feet. He got down on his hands and
knees and began to wash their feet. And then he wiped them with the
towel wherewith he was girded. Not a shame to serve. Not a shame
to be a slave. To take up that capacity. A bond
slave. A bond slave of the Father. but
a slave. He said in one place, I came
not to be ministered unto, but to minister. When He came the
first time, He did not come to be ministered unto. He came to
minister. And to give His life a ransom
for many. God the Father says in Isaiah
42, Behold My servant, whom I uphold. Behold My servant." Oh, let this
mind be in you. Let this mind be in you. And when He came into this world,
He took upon Him the form of a servant. He served in humility. He served willingly. He served
lovingly. He loved everyone He served.
I tell you what, no one ever washed another person's feet
in love like He did. I tell you what He's doing, He's
washing the feet of His children. That's what He's doing. But still yet He did it. He did
it. And when He came into this world,
took up on Him flesh, He came to die. He came to die. That's something that everyone
spends about all they've got. They'll spend everything they've
got. not to die. And I've watched it over the
years. I've lived long enough now to watch these things happen.
I've watched people spend and spend and spend to live just
a little longer. He came to die. He didn't come to live. He came
to die. That's what He came for. He came to put an end to death. That enemy of death, He came
to put an end to it. And He came to put an end to
it by His death. His death is the death of death. That's what
it is. He came to take the sting out of death. Death, where's
your sting at now? Grave, where's your victory?
The Lord Jesus Christ took the sting out of death and took the
victory away from the grave. He did that. He did that. He
came to remove the curse from death by removing the curse of
the law. And the only way he was able
to do that, the only way it could be done, was to be made a curse
for us. He had to become a curse. He
was, it says, made a curse for us. And he humbled himself to
be found in fashion as a man. Was that not enough? Was it not
enough for the Son of God, who is holy, Who is God? Was it not enough
to be made a man? Was that not humbling enough?
Was that not enough humility? Was that not humbling enough? No. No, he had to come into this
world as a babe, born to a poor family, laid in a manger, grow
up in a poor country, recognized by no one, have no reputation, Would that not be enough? No.
Still not enough. It says He became obedient unto
death. He came into this world. He became
incarnate. He became a babe, grew up in
a home under parents that are sinful. I mean, here's a perfect,
here's a perfect child growing up in an imperfect home. Here's a perfect, he's a child,
he's a teenager. You know, when he's 12 years
old, they find him in the temple. And he's teaching those doctors
there, those scribes at 12 years of age. And the parents come
and they say, why, what are you doing? Why are you here? You
know, he said, I must be about my father's business. And they
said, well, let's go home. And you know what he does? He submits to them and he goes
home with them. This is God now. This is God
Almighty in the flesh. And he's going to humble himself
and go home with his parents who are sinners just like you
and me. As all parents do, they make
their mistakes and make bad judgments, but he subjected himself to that.
It's perfect law. He humbled himself and became
obedient. He humbled himself to be made
sin. He humbled himself to be made
sin. Then he humbled himself to die,
a shameful death, a cursed death. He humbled himself to be nailed
to a cross, be stripped naked, beaten, nailed to a cross, and
die the death of a criminal. When he came into this world,
he kept humbling himself. He kept going down, down, down
until he went to the grave. And at no time did he try and
make a reputation for himself. Let this mind be in you. Oh,
let this mind be in you. His death was an act of obedience. The law called for the death
of the offender, and he answered that call for every one of God's
elect. He answered it. But it doesn't end there. It does not end there. Over here
in verse 9, Wherefore, God also hath highly exalted him. Our Lord said, He that humbles
himself shall be exalted. And it says that he humbled himself.
Back in verse 8, In being found in fashion as a man, he humbled
himself. I didn't humble him. Men did
not humble him. He humbled himself on purpose. He did it. He allowed these things
to happen to him. He took upon him the form of
a servant. He took that upon him, purposely. Purposely. Wherefore, God has highly exalted
him. He is the only man who has ever
truly humbled himself. And he is the only man who ever
truly pleased the Father by his own obedience. The only one. As it says here in verse 9, Wherefore
God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which
is above every name. He's been exalted. He's been
risen, raised from the dead. This man who humbled himself,
this man who thought it not robbery to be equal with God. This man
who was nailed to a cross, this man is alive. This man is seated
at God's right hand. This man right now is seated
and being worshipped even by loved ones that we know over
the years and have gone on. Right now, this man, Jesus Christ,
is being worshipped by them. Look over in Revelation chapter 5. Look
at verse 9. And they sung a new song, saying,
Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof.
for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood
out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation, and hast
made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on
the earth. And I beheld and I heard the
voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beast and
the elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten
thousand and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice, worthy
is the lamb that was slain to receive powers, riches, wisdom,
strength, honor, glory, and blessing. That's going on right now. That
man who humbled himself, that man who did not seek a reputation,
that man right now is seated at God's right hand receiving
riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory. And he's receiving it right here
right now, too. And every creature which is in
heaven and on earth and under the earth and such as are in
the sea, and all that are in them, heard I say, blessing and
honor and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the
throne and unto the Lamb forever He'll be an object of worship
throughout eternity. Oh God hath highly exalted him
all the way to his right hand. That's as high as you can get.
You can't exalt him any higher. That's as high as it gets. Look
over in Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2 and verse 36, Acts 2 verse 36, Therefore let
all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made
that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ,
Lord and Savior. He said, let all the house of
Israel know. Let the whole church of God know that God has made
that same Jesus, that same One that was crucified, that same
One that was despised, that same One that was nailed to a cross,
that same One that was put in the grave. He is both Lord and
Christ right now. Right now. He says also here,
He has exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every
name. There is no name compared to
His name. There is no person compared to Him. There is no
comparison. There is no name like the name
Jesus. Thou shalt call His name Jesus,
for He shall save His people from their sins. Immanuel being
interpreted, God with us. He said, Whatsoever you ask in
my name, heaven is moved at his name. Heaven is to be had. Paradise is to be had. Forgiveness
to be had in his name. Righteousness to be had in his
name. Oh, what a name! What a name! The only name the Father recognizes
in salvation. There is no other name, Paul
said, given under heaven whereby we must be saved. If we're going
to be saved, it'll be in His name. In His name. The angels bow to His name. Hebrews 1, he said, let all the
angels of God worship Him. Now, if God the Father has exalted
Him that highly, You reckon we ought to? How highly should we exalt Him?
You cannot. Now there are some things in
this life you can do too much of. You can have too much of
it. You know, moderation is the key word here with human beings. Be moderate. But you cannot worship
Jesus Christ too much. You can't do it. Impossible. You cannot love Him too much.
You cannot give Him too much glory, too much honor. You can't
do it. If God the Father has exalted
Him to His right hand, how much should we exalt Him? As much as is possible in this
flesh. At His name, devils tremble.
The devil is criminal. They know that name. One time
those demons said to those false preachers who were trying to
do an exorcism, they said, Paul we know, but Jesus we know. Who are you? Who are you? They knew that name. They knew
it. Listen, He has highly exalted
Him at His right hand. He has given Him a name that
is above every name, none compared to it, and every knee, every knee shall bow to Him. Every knee. Now how many, how
many do you reckon that? How many billions? How many billion
knees is it? About 6,000 years, a little over
6,000 years has gone by. There's almost six and a half
billion people living right now. Every knee, he said, is going
to bow to this man. God has exalted him. God the
Father has exalted him to his right hand. And God the Father
is going to see to it that every knee is going to bow to the Lord
Jesus Christ. Everyone is going to acknowledge
His Lordship. They are going to acknowledge
Him to be Lord, whether they like it or not. They're going
to acknowledge Him. All in heaven bow and worship
Him willingly. And there are a multitude of
sinners in this life who bow and worship Him willingly. They've
been saved by the grace of God. All in hell is going to bow to
Him even though they don't want to do it willingly. But they're
going to bow. Everyone in this world who does not believe, sooner
or later, will bow. They'll bow. They'll bow. Jesus Christ will have all the
glory in the end. Don't feel sorry for Him. That's
what He said. Don't weep for Me. Didn't He?
Did He not say that? While He was dragging the cross
Mount Calvary said, don't weep for me, weep for yourselves. Don't weep for me. I'm victorious. Who is this King of Glory? They
said the Lord of Hosts. And who is that? The Lord Jesus
Christ. That's who that is. The Lord
of Hosts. He's going to have all the glory when this is all
said and done. And everything that moves, everything
that exists, is going to acknowledge Him as the monarch of heaven
and earth. And every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. It's His glory. It's His honor. He says here, every tongue, when
it's all said and done, And this whole thing is winding down. Every person, every
tongue is going to confess that Jesus Christ truly is the Lord. He truly is the Monarch. He walked
in Jerusalem. He walked in Nazareth. They made
nothing of Him. They despised Him. He was despised
and rejected of men. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief. When they looked at Him, they
thought, no way is this the Messiah. No way is this the Son of God.
He wouldn't look like this. He wouldn't suffer like this.
He wouldn't be this weak. If you're the Son of God, come
down off the cross if you're truly the Son of God. But every tongue is going to
confess, He is Lord. He is Lord. Every spoken language will confess
that the once despised Jesus is the Lord. Every enemy of His
will confess that He is the Lord. He is the triumphant Christ.
He will be exalted over all. And He'll be exalted over all
in the flesh. The man, Christ Jesus. The God-man
will be exalted over all. And I pray, I pray that we, by
the grace of God, will be enabled to do this now. I want to confess
Him as Lord now. I want to do it willingly. I
want to be made willing to bow. I want my knees to bow now in
willing submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, I am your servant. Do with
me as you will. I want that now. Paul said, now let this mind
be in you. Let this mind of humility that was in our Lord, this attitude,
this submission, this willingness, let it be in you now. Now. And if that kind of mind
permeates not only this flock, but every local church that preaches
the gospel, if that mind, the mind of Christ, is in us, you're
talking about harmony. And I pray the Lord will let this
mind be in you, which was also in His Son. Amen.