THIS short but pregnant verse was uttered by Paul as he viewed and saw the state of the Christian fellowship in Philippi. In chapter one of his letter he has told the Christians in Philippi how he loves them and prays for them, and how he longs to come and see them again, and how he believes God will make this possible, even though he was writing his letter from prison where he had been committed because of his preaching the Gospel. He calls them to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ (1: 27) so that he will know, whether he is able to visit them again or not, that they are faithfully following Christ and being his witnesses. He also warns them that such faithfulness to Christ will bring suffering.

As he continues in his letter in chapter 2 we find that Paul seems to have heard something disturbing in the fellowship of the church in Philippi. It is this that prompts him to speak the words of our 2012 message.

THE PROBLEM BEING ADDRESSED.

What was the reason for Paul to exhort the Philippians to have the mind and attitude of Christ? It is found in verses 2-4. Paul was afraid that disunity had crept into the fellowship, and members of the fellowship were at loggerheads and differences of opinion existed between members, and this was causing love to depart. Paul urges them to be one in spirit and in purpose, and in love. The fellowship was being pulled apart by opposing view points.

It is impossible for any fellowship to avoid differences of understanding and opinion as to how things should be in the church, and the way forward in the progress of growth and witness in the church, but this should not become a cause of love departing, and people becoming divided and factions resulting. Paul knew all about this because he had differences of opinion with Peter, and Paul found himself in a divisive disagreement with Barnabas which we read of in Acts 15: 36-41, and this meant Barnabas and Paul parted company. Sometimes division of opinion is impossible to reconcile, but often this is not so because the cause is sinful. Paul names such attitudes in verses 3 and 4. He speaks of selfish ambition and vain conceit; also pride in a person which makes them think they are better than someone else, and that they are right and others are wrong. Because of this Paul exhorts the believers in Philippi to be humble and think others better than themselves.

This trouble is often more evident in churches where there is great faithfulness to the Gospel and the truth of God, and are marked by evident blessing from God. This was so in Philippi. The trouble is that when a church is faithful to the Bible, and is receiving refreshing blessings from the Holy Spirit, and people are being converted, then the devil is disturbed, and he seeks to destroy the work of God. A common and successful way Satan does this is to excite the pride and conceit of members of the fellowship, specially the ones which have authority and influence, and by this means accomplishes his destruction to the work of God. This problem is not confined to just a few prominent church members, but can be a source of trouble in any Christian. It is in this context the apostle calls us to have the attitude of Christ in the centre of our mind and heart.

THE MIND OF CHRIST - WHAT IT IS.

Paul follows the exhortation of our text in the following verses where he gives us an insight into the life and attitude of Jesus in his living on earth. How moving is this insight! How can we read these words without being moved to tears, and being filled with wonder at the grace and love of Christ, and his holiness of life.

What humiliation Jesus was ready to suffer in obedience to his Father, and for the blessing and salvation of us poor sinners. This is the mind Paul exhorts us to emulate. How great was Christ's humility. He was very God of very God. He came from the heavenly glory where he had eternally dwelt in complete union with the Father and the Holy Spirit, in pristine purity and holiness. He did not consider that this glory and joy was something he had to hold on to, but was ready according to the will of the Father to leave it all and become nothing. This is what it meant for Jesus to be incarnate, and become a human being and live in this fallen, corrupt and sinful world. By taking human likeness and human nature, he became a servant. He became the servant of God and man, to serve his Father in complete obedience, and served us in saving love. He humbled himself in a way that it is impossible for us to understand because we are born in sin. He humbled himself by dwelling amongst sinners, being defiled by sinners, his perfect holiness offended every moment by the vileness of sin all around him. Then accepting as being accounted sin for us who knew no sin, and being obedient to death, the penalty for sin; and not just any death but the vilest and most degrading and the most violent and painful death, the death of the cross. Crucifixion was reserved for the worst and filthiest of criminals. He humbled himself in order to save us who are the sinners deserving of everlasting damnation.

Jesus had this mind in him because this was the only way of victory over Satan, and the only way to free us from the dominion of Satan. This is the mind Paul tells us that we must and should seek to emulate. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. And why? It is because that the way of being humble under the mighty hand of God is the way of victory over Satan, and the way of exaltation by the hand of God. The way of pride is the way of Satan,and the way of defeat and being overcome by the devil. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God exhorts Peter in 1 Peter 5: 6, and this is precisely what Jesus did, and Jesus was exalted in due time by God, and given a name above every name. Humility is the way of victory in the church of Christ, and Christ proved this and won the greatest victory of all time, a victory which is the source of all our blessing and joy.

THE MIND OF CHRIST - THE WAY IT IS ACHIEVED.

The exhortation to have the same attitude as Christ on its own should be sufficient in and of itself. With our minds we can easily approve the call, and we may well say, with our mind and in our heart, this is what I must do and this is what I want to do. We may well set about practising humility and seeking to consider others better than ourself, but the trouble remains in our hearts. What we seek outwardly in our living is belied by the thoughts of our hearts. Our thoughts keep on telling us that we know best, and that another persons opinion is not better than our own, and we find the attitude of our mind taking over. We still find in our hearts the desire for recognition and importance. We see others and feel that we could do so much better. The devil is so good at exciting our sinful nature in the exalting of self.

How can we feel the mind of Christ in our heart so that from the heart is a genuine and deep humility brought about through the Spirit working in us.

Paul leads us into this in verse 1 of this second chapter of Philippians. This verse is not essential doctrine, but expression of experience. It is founded on doctrine, but the force of what Paul enquires about in this verse is a searching of our experience. Each sentence is introduced by the word 'if'. The 'if' leads us to consider our experience as Christians. What Paul is leading up to is that our ability to have the mind of Christ will depend on the genuineness and deepness of our experience in Christ and of his salvation. When this experience is real and deep, we will find there is no room for pride and self conceit.

The encouragement from being united with Christ, the comfort of his love, the fellowship with God worked by the application of saving love to our soul by the Spirit, a melting of tenderness toward Christ, and compassion for others brought about through Christ, are all an expression of a vital and on going appreciation of God's love to us as sinners. When we have a true work of God's Spirit in our soul, then we are led to have a deep and true understanding of our sinfulness and sin, and we see ourself as totally unworthy of any blessing from God. From this comes an overwhelming sense of gratitude to God for his grace to us in Jesus Christ, and the gift of faith to trust in Christ. We see ourself as a debtor to mercy alone, we glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. We are filled with wonder and gratitude that Jesus was willing to empty himself of his heavenly glory, and be humbled by being sentenced to death by God for our sin. Seeing our sinfulness, the encouragement in Christ of free forgiveness, and the wonder of being loved by God, and the fellowship with God worked in us by the Spirit, leaves us with no desire for self-glorification, but with a sense of our unworthiness to put ourself forward in any way, and be ready to be self-effacing until Christ calls us to service. This self-effacement does not end here, but is constant in all ministry and service as we feel it is only in the strength and wisdom of God are we able to do anything.

This is the mind of Christ which Paul exhorts us to and speaks of when he says in verse 2 - "be like-minded, having the same love." It is only in this experience can we be humble under the mighty hand of God. If self-ambition and vain conceit has crept into our life, then it is because we have lost the appreciation of who we were outside of Christ, and of how much we owe to Christ and our unworthiness to receive such love.

THE MIND OF CHRIST - ITS REWARD.

Here is the hardest of all this teaching. It is hard because the devil will deny it, and our faith falters under the pain of being brought low before God.

Do we remember the parable which Jesus told when he said, when you are invited to a dinner, don't seek to sit in the most important place at table, but sit in the lowest place. Why, because if you seek the highest place, the lord of the dinner may come and say to you, please give up your seat to this person who I want to sit where you are. So we have to get up and we find that only the lowest place at table is left. Jesus goes on to say, take the lowest place, then the lord of the dinner will come and say come up higher, and then you will find praise in the company.

Peter in 1 Peter 5: 5,6 tells the truth in these words. "All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the might hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time."

What do we read of Jesus in verses 9-11 of Philippians chapter 2. "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

However we need to be careful. That the Lord exalts the humble is true, but if we seek to be humble and have the mind of Christ because we want pride of place in the church and before God, then we are just demonstrating the self-conceit and vain ambition within our sinful heart. The reward is not the reason for seeking to have the attitude which is Christ Jesus. We seek to do it out of love for Jesus, and because we have a deep sense of our unworthiness to be anything. We seek to be Christ-like out of love for his great love for us. The reward is not the goal. It may or may not come according to the grace and will of Christ. Whether we receive a reward does not matter. Christ-likeness is our desire to glorify the Saviour who humbled himself so deeply to save worthless sinners such as ourselves.