Watch Part 3 here:
The Mind of Christ Sermon Series
Part 1
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Intro: The human mind is a fascinating thing. God created the human mind and the human brain and it is without a doubt a testimony of the fact that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
The mind of a person is one of their most important faculties.
Mind: (in a human or other conscious being) the element, part, substance, or process that reasons, thinks, feels, wills, perceives, judges, etc.: the processes of the human mind.
There are only two minds a person can have: a carnal mind, or the mind of Christ.
The carnal mind is what lost people and unspiritual saved people have.
Romans 8
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
· 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
One of the biggest areas that a person will encounter spiritual opposition and warfare is in the mind.
Satan’s goal is to prevent every believer from having the mind of Christ.
When we think like Christ, we will act like Christ.
Satan will work overtime to shroud the mind of the Christan and keep him in a carnal mindset.
The evidence of a carnal mind is manifested by:
A. A Destroyed Mind
Satan – in his efforts to destroy man and his hope of ever being saved, seeks to destroy his mind.
Mark 5:15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
Satan – the archenemy of God seeks to destroy the mind.
(Illustration: mind-altering drugs…) There are 77 million Americans today taking mind-altering drugs of some kind or another.
B. A Darkened Mind
Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Ephesians 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
2 Corinthians 3:14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
C. A Defiled Mind
Titus 1:15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
1 Timothy 6:5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
2 Timothy 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
D. A Disputing Mind
The problem is this – a person with a carnal mind cannot in any way, shape or form please God.
A person with a carnal mind will always be at odds with everything God says.
NOTICE our text: verses 13, 14:
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
Galatians 5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
This is the opposite of a submissive mind; an obedient mind; a yielded mind.
E. A Disagreeable Mind
Philippians 2
1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Ephesians 5
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
1 Corinthians 1
10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Philippians 4:2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.
We cannot profess to be spiritually minded if we are always disagreeing with everybody.
F. A Distracted Mind
Hebrews 12
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Part 2
The Right Mind
Let us begin with…
I. The Pattern of the Savior – vs. 5-11
The right mind is the mind of Christ.
· God wants us to think like Jesus.
· God wants us to see things like Jesus.
II. The Preferring of the Saints – vs. 2-4
A. The Right Mind will produce a Unified Labor
Notice how the mind of Christ will affect your relationship with the brethren.
· Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Stand fast in one spirit. What a concept!!
With one mind – striving together. Imagine!
It’s not about you or me – it is for the faith of the gospel.
B. The Right Mind will produce a Unselfish Love
Philippians 2
· 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
· 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
· 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Can we count the references to unselfish love here? I count eight!
1. Likeminded
2. Having the same love
3. Being of one accord
4. Of one mind
5. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory
6. Lowliness of mind
7. Let each esteem other better than themselves.
8. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
III. The Portrayal of the Sons – vs. 15, 16
A. The Withouts – murmuring, disputing, blame, harm and rebuke
· 14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
· 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke,
1. Without Murmuring
1 Corinthians 10
· 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
· 10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
Make no mistake: God hates murmuring!!
Exodus 14
· 26 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
· 27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.
2. Without Disputings
DISPUTINGS: the thinking of a man deliberating with himself; a thought, inward reasoning; a deliberating, questioning about what is true
3. Without Blame – free of defects
4. Without Harm - of the mind, without a mixture of evil, free from guile, innocent, simple
5. Without Rebuke - blameless
B. The Whereabouts
· 15 …in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.
Make no mistake – a child of God with the mind of Christ will not be identified with a crooked and perverse nation.
They will be in the midst of them, but they won’t fit in with them!
The mind of Christ will produce a light-source for the believer.
Ye are the light of the world!!!
Conclusion: Paul wanted them to portray themselves as sons of God to a crooked and perverse nation.
He longed for the day of Christ when he could be assured that his race and his labor had not been in vain.
Part 3
The Resigned Mind
Intro: God has commanded the believer to have the same mind as the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
It is impossible to have the mind of Christ and have your own mind at the same time.
If we insist on having our mind, rather than the mind of Christ, we will be virtually ineffective as Christians.
Our greatest battles will be fought on the battleground of our mind.
If Satan can control our minds, he can control us.
But Satan doesn’t always focus on you having HIS mind; he’s ok with you just having YOURS.
How could Paul say what he did in Philippians 2:17, 18 if he didn’t have the mind of Christ?
· 17 Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.
· 18 For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.
How could a person joy and rejoice while being offered up as a sacrifice and service to others?
With the mind of Christ!
· Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
I. The Altering of the Mind
There are only two minds a person can have: a carnal mind, or the mind of Christ.
The carnal mind is what lost people and unspiritual saved people have.
God wants to completely overhaul our minds.
This is what this series is about.
Let’s look one more time at the definition of the MIND:
Mind: (in a human or other conscious being) the element, part, substance, or process that reasons, thinks, feels, wills, perceives, judges, etc.: the processes of the human mind.
God wants to change how you process information.
God wants to change how you reason.
God wants to change how you think.
God wants to change how you feel.
God wants to change how you will.
God wants to change how you perceive.
God wants to change how you judge.
That is His goal in your life.
To accomplish that, we must cooperate with him.
That brings us to our next point.
Part 4
The Resigned Mind continued
II. The Allowance of the Mind
Notice how many times Paul said “Let” in this passage. (vss. 3-5)
Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Philippians 3:16 Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.
God will make the change, but we must comply with what He is trying to do.
Resisting the ministry of the Holy Spirit to transform your mind is detrimental to your Christian life.
In fact, there will BE NO Christian life apart from allowing God to transform your mind.
I am convinced more than ever that in order to have the mind of Christ, we must first resign our own minds.
Another word would be a yielded mind, or a submitted mind.
Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Romans 6:19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
If our MINDS are not members that need to be yielded, I don’t know what does.
Matthew 16
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
The Holy Spirit will give you an alternate thought if you will allow Him to.
The Holy Spirit will tell you how to respond, what to think, how to process the information you have, if you’ll allow it.
ILLUSTRATION: Nehemiah prayed for God’s leadership before answering this king’s question.
Nehemiah 2:4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
High-stress situation.
He didn’t need to answer in his current state of mind.
He needed God’s wisdom.
He needed CALMNESS – vs. 2 “Then was I very sore afraid.”
“Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.”
He needed CLARITY – vs. 4 “For what does thou make request?”
He needed CONFIDENCE – vs. 6 (the queen also sitting by him…) Imagine the stress!
Here is a lowly cupbearer standing before the king and queen.
Life or death outcome.
A project bigger than him.
Affecting many people with great expense.