One of the pronounced themes about the book of Philippians is this whole idea of joy and rejoicing.
But why? I think this is a book, if you will, about having the mind of Christ. Thinking about real life circumstances in light of the thinking of Christ. I need to live with a gospel transformed mind. My perspective on the circumstances of life must be shaped by the gospel.
We are living in a day where we are blitzed with information all the time. And our brain is designed that in one way, shape, or form, it does process that information. And when it does, it informs or it transforms our perspective.
And I am here to challenge us today that there are things in life that we need to at least understand whether my perspective on those things is informed or transformed. And so I believe in this book as we study it together. What is God saying should be my perspective on that.
And if I make the change from one to the other, will it result in me living a life that is marked by a peaceful, settled joy in God. Welcome to The Daily Platform, a radio program featuring chapel messages from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. Today, Dr. Alan Benson is continuing the study series called The Mind of Christ from the book of Philippians. Take your Bibles and turn with me again this morning to Philippians chapter two. Philippians chapter two.
I'm going to read the opening verses, verses one through four, the passage we've been in. Remember as we look at them that we have seen in this section that Paul is writing about humility. And in doing so, he is pointing out that God has given us incentives for humility, chapter two and verse one. And then he's given injunctions for humility.
And that's what we were looking at last time. Instructions for humility that will come then in verse four and then examples and the greatest of them being Christ in verses five through 11. Paul writes Philippians chapter two and verse one, if there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit of any bowels and mercies, fulfill you my joy that you be like-minded having the same love being of one accord of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves.
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. As we looked at Paul's encouragement here, we talked about the fact that he makes a plea to them. That plea is that they would fulfill his joy. And so we're left with what is it that would bring him joy or what was Paul's passion? And we talked about the fact that it's clear in this book, in the opening chapter when he says things like, I'm convinced of this that he who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. That his great passion in writing to them is a conscious awareness of God's redemptive purposes being accomplished in their lives. And so his joy being fulfilled is that you live in a way that the gospel's impact is visibly on display in your relationships. That's really what we've been looking at in this passage of scripture is how do I learn the mind of Christ, which he's going to point out in verse five, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus with regard to relationships.
And in doing so, there's a reason why he's going to highlight the redemptive purposes of God. And it's because of what happened in the fall. Do you remember what happened in the fall? One of the very first things that takes place when Adam and Eve falls is that their horizontal relationships become broken as a result of their vertical relationship with God being broken. Thus when God comes inquiring after Adam, he says, Adam, where are you? And he says, well, something's happened and because of that, we were ashamed and so we hid ourselves, a broken relationship with God. And God begins to inquire then as to Adam, I want you to tell me what has happened. Do you remember what Adam said?
The woman that you gave me? And there's now fractured human relationships. And so you move from that then to God's pronouncement of the curse because of the fall. And one of the things that he highlights is human relationships are now going to be fractured and broken and fraught with stress and discomfort and even agony. Thus there'll be strife between husband and wife in light of the designated roles that God has given them. And there will be strife and pain even in childbearing. And thus you move from that encounter to then the next, very next social setting of human beings and we see relationship between brothers. And again, as a result of God not accepting Cain's gift, what happens?
It's carried out in strife, in pride that is expressed against a brother and thus we have the first murder in scripture as Cain kills Abel. As we come to this passage of scripture, what I would say to you is the things that Paul is pointing out about what the mind of Christ looks like in relationships is actually impossible without the gospel. In other words, it takes the gospel to transform my heart in order for me to then have right horizontal relationships and I will go then a step further.
It takes the ongoing work of the gospel in my sanctification for it to be possible for me to have right horizontal relationships. How many of you call that thing that little children sit on in the playground a seesaw? Let me see your hands. How many of you call it a seesaw? Alright, how many of you call it a teeter totter? Let me see. Okay, just checking, that's a survey.
But now we all know what it is, I just wanted to make sure. How many of you, the greatest part of ever being on a seesaw was when you were the bigger kid? How many of you say, Dad, that's really why I liked it? Because at some point I could go down and they could be up and I had total control. How many of you like to ride on it up and down and up and down and up and down and every now and again when you went down you lifted your feet so you hit the ground and watched your friend jump off their seat? Anybody like that? See, I might just have been the sick kid at the playground.
I'm making sure it wasn't just me. But have any of you tried to ride on a seesaw that was out of balance? You take kind of the middle point and you move it? Ever tried that? It's really no fun. They don't work really well.
Why? Because the horizontal relationship works right when the vertical relationship is in the right place. It's a simple illustration. But friends, this is how we have to think about our relationships. My horizontal relationships will work as God intended them to work. When my relationship with God is right and is central. Thus he's going to come to this illustration where he says, let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. And there he's going to give us the illustration of Christ's mind in regard to his Father with the carrying out of the Gospel. In other passages of Scripture, we actually see the mind of Christ with regard to us, right? Paul gives us an incredible illustration of the love of Christ for the church when he tells us in Ephesians 5 about the relationship of husband and wives. He says, husbands love your wives as Christ what?
Loved the church. And so we understand that he gave himself there, Paul tells us. So there is a relationship that Christ has that he looks on those that needed redemption in carrying out the Gospel. But I don't actually think that's what Paul is doing here in Philippians 2. This is actually his mind with regard to Gospel purposes, to redemption's plan with regard to his Father. So in light of that, let's consider then what the Gospel should be producing in us if we're going to be rightly related to one another. And he points out there's incentives. There is relationship benefit that is only possible to us in verse 1 because of the Gospel. The type of community that humans crave, the type of community that we were made to enjoy and was broken by the fall is only possible because of the Gospel.
That's the incentives. And then he talks about these injunctions where he says that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. And so we talked last time about purposeful thinking, that you be like-minded. And here the idea is you have to stop and say, I need to think. You know, that's just a really great principle in life. The stop and think principle is actually really helpful if you're going to survive traffic in Greenville, South Carolina. The light changes and you say first stop and think and then you go.
You'll save yourself a lot of grief. It's helpful in life. Someone says something to you. If you take this practice, stop and think, it actually might help you a lot rather than go and speak and then stop and think.
That usually causes a lot of problems. And so purposeful thinking that leads then to practiced loving. And we pointed out there's a process going on here. This is going somewhere, if you will. These are not steps that I think we have to do A, B, C, and D. But it's going somewhere.
It is producing something. And this purposeful thinking leads then to a practiced loving, a practiced loving. There's something I make a choice to do, having the same love. Love that is in a one another relationship. This is love that will look to the needs of another based upon the fact that I am thinking and then I make decisions about what I should do with them. Should I comfort?
Should I confront? And understand it is not love that just does one or the other. It is love that makes a right choice because it's rightly thinking about another to actually help them. And sometimes that is comforting and sometimes that is confronting.
And so practiced loving. That leads then to prioritized choosing. Notice this little expression, being of one accord. It's an interesting word here. This is actually moving, if you will, from the heart to the soul, the inner man.
The word that's used here means harmonious in soul or souling together or having souls that are now aligned. And so this is a call for unity of thinking and of feeling and of more than that of valuing. You know, friends, one of the things that marks maturity, whether that's maturity in life or whether that's spiritual maturity, is that you begin to live life on a values basis rather than a cost analysis.
You know what I mean by that? Often in life, we start out making decisions on a cost analysis. You're teaching a child to obey and to do that, that is a cost analysis because if I don't obey, it costs me something or if I do obey, I get something.
So I'm beginning to think through whether I want to do something or not. That is immaturity. Thus Paul could say when I put away childish things. And what we do as we mature is we move to actually a values-based judgment system. What matters to me? More importantly, what actually matters?
What should I value? And you see, it's only from values that we ever can move to living by convictions. My values are connected to my convictions. And so working through relationships in light of what are my values and then valuing together is the idea here of being in one accord. Do I value you more than I value me?
Do I value my comfort more than I value your needs? And so this could never be a command to have unity at the expense of truth because there is this understanding of other being values. So if you will, he's not just saying, think the same thing and he's not just saying think the right thing. What are you saying I think is think the right thing together or maybe even better in community, think together the right thing. So there's a call to relationship here that puts souls together and that coming together of souls is going to be about what is right and how do we then rightly think about it together. This calls for communication.
I mentioned last time as we wrapped up that this was great marriage advice. You realize that this is the melding together of two souls and thus there must be communication that enables us to express what our values are and even then through that communication to jointly develop those values and then live them together. These are the kind of relationships that produce for us the incentives that are in verse one and thus then it leads I think to the fourth thing here. Notice what he says, of one mind and I've labeled this as produced submitting, produced submitting.
It's a result. The word that he uses here he also uses earlier but it's pronounced here it is the Greek word that comes from the word phrenao of one mind or it's about an inner thinking. It's not just a mindset but it involves the will. This complex for thinking.
There's lots of words about mind or thinking and several are used throughout the book of Philippians. This one actually the phron complex gives greater weight if you will to the will or the decision to choose and act rather than to think or feel. In other words I'm going to take steps now. I'll make choices in light of the other three things that are happening and those choices are going to look like something.
That there's a greater good, a greater good in community than there is about my own individual need or passion and in light of being one sold if you will coming together based on values and in light of choosing a pathway that's going to look more like loving self-sacrificially than getting in a pathway that is going to start out with this idea of being like-minded. I'm going to will to make choices that'll look like deference. The stunning thing about all of this is that he is going to at the end of talking about all of this this way say let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus. You see I believe that God is honored when we humbly show deference in an area of preference for others good and his glory.
Let me say that again. God is honored when we humbly show deference in an area of preference for others good and his glory. How would your relationships be changed, shaped if this was the kind of mind that you had with regard to others? I'm going to honor God because I've got an area clearly where I have a preference but it's just a preference and in light of that preference I have an opportunity for the good of others and God's glory to show deference.
I don't have to have my way. This is the mind of Christ on relationships. Thus it leads then to some instructions. Notice what he says as if this wasn't enough. He says look not every man on his own things but every man also on the things of others.
Simple instructions, clear instructions, direct instructions. Here are just some simple ingredients if you will for how this humility is supposed to work. He says that your heart ought not to be driven and thus your actions performed in light of living life trying for personal advantage. I ought not to get up in the morning and say now how can I get ahead and in particular how can I get ahead of them today?
In fact it ought to be turned around is what he says. How can I advantage them today for the glory of God? And so notice really simply he starts out with a right if you will a gospel assessment of me. He starts don't think on your own things. Don't be preoccupied with yourself. This is if you will the natural brokenness of our fallenness.
What is my default position? It's to think of me. Paul again in Ephesians says that we are to love our wives as we love ourselves and he doesn't say now go take a really great course on self-love. Figure out how you love yourself first. He actually makes the assumption we love ourselves and so the natural is always I am going to think of me. I'm going to think of what advantages me and he says actually you need to start with a self-evaluation in light of the gospel that recognizes your own simple heart condition.
I am predisposed to me and then a resignation of my own selfish demands. Friends the Bible has an awful lot to say about this kind of thinking. Colossians 3 12 put on therefore is the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercy kindness humbleness of mind. Ephesians 4 with all lowliness and meekness with longsuffering forbearing one another in love. James 4 6 he gives more grace wherefore he saith God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Verse 10 humble yourselves in the sight of God. First Peter 5 5 calls to the younger submit themselves to the elder. Luke 14 11 for whosoever exalted themselves shall be abased and he that humblest himself shall be exalted. Proverbs over and over 11 2 15 33 18 12 22 4 Psalm 25 9 says the meek will he guide in judgment and the meek will he teach his way. Paul writes in Romans 12 3 for I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think but to think soberly according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. This starts out with a self-evaluation that starts with the acknowledgement that even at times when I don't like myself it's probably because I have too high of an expectation for myself in pride.
But it doesn't stay there because we can stay overly self-focused. It actually then is driven at having a writer a gospel assessment of others. Think not every man in his own things but every man also on the things of others I see them through this gospel lens. What does that mean? It means that I probably need to set aside all of my my sinful biases and prejudices and partialities that that tend to inform my thinking about others and people. This is called a call to speak the gospel to the unhealthy skepticism that often grips our heart.
You see not only do we tend to love ourselves we tend to live with the expectation that others love themselves too so they get a chance they're out to get me and I respond to that even in advance of how they behave. I know what you're thinking. I know what you're after.
I know what your goals are and it's to take from me. The gospel actually is a lens through which I filter all of that out and that impacts then the way I treat people. Notice what he says. Look not every man on his own things but every man also on the things of others. The interesting thing here in this passage of scripture is the language actually as you look at it you want to go in and find specifics is it interests is it is it their own stuff.
None of that is actually here. The Bible says that in other places but here it's actually just me and you. My own heart my own desires my own goals my own dreams my own interests my own stuff that all is just a part of me before you and he says the mindset here is not to be lived out in light of the gospel of me before you it's you before me. And so it's this understanding that if I'm going to live this way the greater pathway of ministry for me is I'll always choose to find the right way to serve you.
It's a heart that looks and says what can I do for you? And friends this was the mind of Christ. When you look through this explanation of the gospel in the incarnation in verses five through eleven I want you to think in light of what we have studied in verses one through four and I want you to read those statements there. I could re-preach them but I have no need to because what Paul is saying is let me show you this in Christ and the big question for us is if Christ carried out the gospel for the glory of his father this way what should I do in carrying out the glory of the gospel as I live with you and live that way? Father help us help us to make the gospel this real in our thinking in our relationships help the husbands here to have this mindset about their wives and wives to their husbands and parents to their children and children to their parents and friends to their friends and friends to their to other friends friends and then God fill us as a community with gospel thinking on relationships for your glory for it's in Christ's name that we pray it. Amen. You've been listening to a sermon preached by Dr. Alan Benson from the study series in the book of Philippians called the mind of Christ. Thanks for listening and join us again tomorrow as we continue the study preached from the Bob Jones University Chapel platform. Thank you.
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