Study Guide: "The Mind of Christ"

Philippians 2:5-11

Open:

Verse 5 refers to what immediately precedes in verses 1-4.  Paul has been pleading for unity in the church because a sharp dispute between two leading women threatened create havoc in his beloved congregation.  He is explicit in verses 1-4 concerning the marks of spiritual unity, and now he illustrates his meaning with an unmistakable example--that of Christ.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, the value of this image of Christ is immeasurable.

Paul holds before us the incarnation of Christ as the basis for understanding the mindset that should prevail in each of us.

Many scholars believe this passage was originally a hymn, sung by early Christians to commemorate and celebrate the incarnation of Christ.

But as great a theological statement this is, it is also ethical--it has to do with the way we are to live.  "Let the same mind be in you...". This is not mere speculation or philosophizing.  This is an attitude that yields a certain set of actions.  Paul makes it clear that he is motivating us to live like our Lord Jesus Christ.   

Unity in the church takes place when each of us have & act upon the attitude of Christ-- sacrifice, humility, obedience.

I. To Have the Mind of Christ is to Have an Attitude of Sacrifice.

     1.  Make no mistake about it, Jesus Christ was God in the flesh.

        - Pre-existence of Christ.  Before time began He was.

        - "Form" is the word morphe=outward manifestation of an inner reality.  There is another word schema.  Morphe is the essential form which never alters; schema is the outward form which changes from time to time. (John 1:1-11)

     2.  "Exploited" is harpagmos, which refers to something that is seized or carried off by force.

        - Because Jesus already possessed equality with God, the meaning of "to be exploited" is not taking hold of but clinging to what is already yours.  He refused to selfishly cling to what was rightfully his.  At any time he could have called a legion of angels to his side, but to do so would have thwarted God's plan of redemption for mankind.

     3. "Emptied" is from kenoo, which means to empty completely.

        - Jesus emptied himself of every vestige of advantage and privilege.

        - Jesus emptied himself only of certain aspects of the privileges of deity.  All four gospels make it clear that he did not forsake his divine power to perform miracles, forgive sin, or know the minds and hearts of people.  Had he stopped being God (an impossibility), he could not have died for the sins of the world.

    4. Christ's willingness to sacrifice for our sakes knew no limits.

Jesus emptied himself of five divine rights: "taking the form of a bond slave" (v. 7)

He temporarily divested himself of his divine glory.  He did not forfeit his glory, but it was veiled, hidden in his humanity.

Jesus emptied himself of divine authority. John 5:30

He emptied himself of the voluntary exercise of his divine attributes.  He chose not to use the full limit of his divine attributes (omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence)

He emptied himself of his eternal riches. 2 Co 8:9

He emptied himself temporarily of his unique, intimate, face-to-face relationship with his heavenly Father. 

II. To Have the Mind of Christ is to Have an Attitude of Humility and Obedience.

"And being found in human form, he humbled himself ...."

     1. Jesus being God took on the form of man.

         - In comparison, this would be like a man taking on the form of a worm

1) Of great significance here is the word “humbled”

a. It comes from etapeinwsen which means to make low, to bring to the ground.

b. “Humiliation” would be our closest English word

c. Jesus was humiliated, dishonored and disgraced in taking on the form of a man

d. Our Lord suffered this humiliation on a daily basis

     - Every time he was tired, hungry, frustrated, he was reminded of his humiliation.

     2. Jesus' ultimate humiliation was experienced on the cross.

        - Can you grasp the absurdity of the cross?

        - King of Kings & Lord of Lords is treated like a criminal.

        - The Creator of heaven and earth becomes a captive.

        - The omnipotent, omnipresent One is nailed to a rugged cross and held fast by metal spikes.

     3. But the Scripture calls his humiliation "obedience."

"and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross."

       - It was obedience because Christ was fulfilling God's plan that had been decided before the worlds were created.  All knowing God knew the outcome of his decision to create man, and the Son had volunteered to do what only God could do to redeem man--accept the full weight of man's sin and pay the punishment required.

      - What is not stated here but is implied throughout is that Christ had this attitude and acted with sacrifice, humility, and obedience, for YOU & for ME!

     4. The end result of Christ's sacrifice, humiliation & obedience was exaltation! (vv. 9-11)

     - The ultimate humiliation resulted in the ultimate exaltation.

Points of Application:

1. We are called upon to have the same attitude that Christ had.

2. This means a willingness, eagerness to sacrifice on behalf of others, to the point that it hurts and even humiliates.  Have you ever suffered for serving anyone else?

3. We are called upon to declare our allegiance.  Momentary suffering, sacrifice, humility & obedience is nothing compared to the glory that will be ours.

Close:

Unity in the church takes place when each of us have & act upon the attitude of Christ-- sacrifice, humility, obedience.

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)

Philippians 2:4

The Apostle Paul wrote as he was moved by the Holy Spirit, but that did not hobble him from expressing ideas at times that confound the smartest among us and dismantle the most self-assured. One such statement may be found in Philippians 2:4, "Look not only to your own interests... Consider others better than yourselves."  I can barely pull myself from survival mode long enough to acknowledge someone else, much less prefer their interests to my own. And when I attempt to do so, my words ring tinny and hollow, and even a bat could see that I'm saying things disconnected from my heart. Is Paul encouraging us to paint the clown 's face and pantomime love?  Are we to fake it with the hope that we'll eventually deceive ourselves into accepting our pasty makeup as our real face? I'm convinced the aged apostle has something much more authentic in mind. Paul does not encourage low self-esteem but no-self-esteem.  When I begin to recognize and genuinely believe that what others need and want is as important as my own needs and wants, they supernaturally become more important than my own and I have traveled a long way down the road of actually losing sight of myself. 

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)

Study Guide: "Outline for Spiritual Unity"

Text: Philippians 2:1-4

Open:

As chapter two begins, the Apostle Paul gives what is perhaps the most concise and practical teaching on congregational unity in all of the New Testament.  In these four powerful verses he outlines the necessary elements for a church to enjoy spiritual unity.

I. The Right Motives for Spiritual Unity (2:1-2a)

"If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete."

  1. Encouragement - paraklesis - Coming alongside someone to offer comfort, counsel, or exhortation.

  2. Comfort - paramuthion - Surrounding someone with unconditional love.

  3. Fellowship - koinonia - Partnership and profound sharing.

  4. Tenderness & Compassion - splanchna (metaphor of the emotions) & oiktirmos (mercy extended).

II. The Right Marks of Spiritual Unity (2:2b)

"Be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind."

  1. Be like-minded - to auto phronete - to think the same thing.

  2. Have the same love - agape - love of the will, not of preference or attraction.

  3. Be one in Spirit - sumpsuchos - literally means "one-souled."

     - Union comes from external factors; unity comes from internal fusion.

  4. Be one in purpose - a group focused on the same goal such that personal preference and ambition is forfeited/lost in view of the common goal.

III. The Right Means of Spiritual Unity (2:3-4)

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.  Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others."

Paul says that spiritual unity is achieved by means of two negatives and two positives:

  1. Reject selfish ambition.

  2. Reject vain conceit - kenisdoxa - empty of glory.

 

  3. Embrace right attitude towards self - opposite of selfish ambition.

  4. Embrace right attitude towards others.

Close:

Spiritual unity is a constant challenge for any congregation, but deserving of our best efforts to maintain and extend it.

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)

Study Guide: "Marks of Spiritual Integrity"

Text: Philippians 1:27-30

Open:

The Apostle Paul had a special love, respect, and appreciation for the church at Philippi.  It was one of the most mature of the churches described in the New Testament.  Nevertheless, its members had a number of problems, some of them potentially serious.  In 1:27-30 Paul turns from the autobiographical emphasis of the first part of his letter in order to focus on the Philippian congregation.  He calls them to carefully consider their own hearts to determine if they were persons of spiritual integrity.  Paul's appeal to them applies to every believer and every church, in every place and time.  The question of spiritual integrity simply put--does what we profess publicly we believe match who we are in private? 

We Display Spiritual Integrity by a Consistent Lifestyle (1:27).

"Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ..."

  1. "Live" is the main verb in verses 27-30, which is a single sentence in the Greek.

     - The word comes from the root word polis, and from it we get such words as "political" and "metropolitan."

     - The verb carries the basic meaning of being a citizen.  By implication, it means being a good citizen, one whose conduct brings honor to the political body to whom one belongs.

     - The use of this word had to do with the fact that the city of Philippi was a Roman colony.

     - A Roman colony was described by one ancient writer as a miniature likeness of the Roman people.

     - Addressing a Roman colony from the Roman metropolis and writing as a Roman citizen, Paul uses the political image as a reminder of the responsibility of citizenship.

     - He teaches that Christians are ultimately citizens of God's kingdom, with the responsibility of living a heavenly life on this earth in the midst of ungodly people and often hostile surroundings.  The saints are reminded that as a colony of heaven, we are to lead heavenly lives on earth.

     - Paul's phrase in verse 27 could be translated literally, "Behave like citizens."

But, how in the world do we do that?

  2. "Worthy" answers the question.

     - The word is used here with the meaning of "weighing as much as another thing." Believers are to see to it that their manner of living weighs as much as the gospel they profess to believe, or their words will have no weight ("weasel words").

     - What lends weight or significance to what we say is the fact that our life is congruous to the message we proclaim.

Eph 4:1, "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received." 

     *The church's greatest testimony before the world is spiritual integrity.  By living below God's revealed standard we seriously undermine the credibility of the gospel and weaken our impact on the world.

     - It is amazing to me how rapidly the Church keeps morphing to look more and more like the world.  When the unsaved look at the church there appears no reason to believe the gospel because the church resembles closely what they see everywhere else.

II. We Display Spiritual Integrity By Unity in the Church (1:27b).

"So that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel."

  1. "Stand firm" translates the Greek word steko, which refers to holding one's ground regardless of danger or opposition.

     - The word was used of a soldier who defended his position at all costs, even to the point of sacrificing his own life.  Figuratively, it refers to holding to a belief, conviction, or principle without compromise, regardless of personal cost.

     - Standing firm is both positive and negative:

       Stand for God & against Satan

       Stand for truth & against falsehood

       Stand for righteousness & against sin

1 Co 16:13, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."

   2. "In one spirit ... with one mind."

     - Unity was a major theme of Paul and it seemed he was constantly  struggling against division--Jews versus Gentiles, slaves versus free, men versus women, believer versus believer (deals in chapter 4 with conflict between two women in the Philippian church--Euodia & Syntyche).

     - Unity in the church was also one of Christ's great passions.

Jn 13:34-35, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Jn 17:21-22, "that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one."

     - According to Jesus, the highest proof, the clearest evidence that the gospel is true, is the authentic love expressed between believers.

Again, we ask: how do we forge such a unified body?

Answer: "Striving side by side..."

     3. Sunathleo-- Compound Greek word made up of sun (with) and athleo (to compete in a sporting event).

       * Unity is produced by striving together toward a common goal, not by focusing on unity/agreement.

       - This is the unity of the squadron, fighting outfit, not a support group turned in on itself.

      - In other words: unity is a by-product, not an object.

     4. Functional unity is fearless. "no way intimidated by your opponents."

       - "intimidated" is a word often used to describe a startled horse that bolted, often due to something harmless, and threw its rider.

       - Being fearless means that we don't allow small things (disagreements  on preferences) to distract us from our common mission.

Close:

We are called as a church to passionately pursue our God-given mission, and in the process, display spiritual integrity that convinces of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

     Our serving must match our preaching.  Our testimony must match our testifying.  Our practice must match our praising.  Our helping must match our hallelujahs.  Our loving must match our living.

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, pastor)