The Mind of Christ, In Us
Our main sanctuary was started in 1991.
In this message, we take a look at how the church is to love and encourage each other. Click here for the recording of this 11/3 Service, and you can fast-forward to 24:07 to get to the start of the sermon.
Our text comes from Philippians 2 : 1-5
1 Therefore , if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves;
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus…
Introduction…
Paul is the author, and is in jail as he writes this
The object of the letter is the church in Philippi
I know of no passage more fitting to God’s people than this one
As you prepare for church each Sunday, or Wednesday night, what goes through your mind? How do you get ready to enter into a worship space?
Background - ch1- “therefore” in ch2
V27- conduct yourselves worthy of the gospel of Christ; I want to hear that you are standing firm in one spirit (unified), one mind, working together for the sake of the Gospel
V28- don’t be alarmed by your opponents (the people of God have always had opposition)
V29- if you believe in Jesus, you will suffer on His behalf,
v30- they would experience the same conflict Paul suffered, which they saw, and heard
To the Text…
V1- if there is any encouragement (parakalesis) in Christ, any comfort in love, any fellowship (koinonia) in the Spirit, any affection (splanchnon- guts, emotion, heart, tenderness), compassion or kindness toward one another
V2- make my joy complete by being of
The same mind- froneo, what we think
The same love- loving the same way and direction, agape
United in one spirit
Intent on one purpose- focused on the same thing(s)
V3- do NOTHING from selfishness or conceit/vanity/pride, but with humility (lit., to make yourself lower) consider what is good for the whole as more important that what you want as an individual
V4- DO NOT look out only for your own personal interests, but for the interests of others
V5- have this attitude (froneo- mindset) in each and all of you, the same that was in Jesus; Paul wants us to think like Christ
How do we put this into practice here at Cornerstone?
1 - Is Jesus our “Cornerstone” here at this church, or is it something else?
“A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.” (Wikipedia)
We are all to line up off of Jesus, the Cornerstone
2 - Encouragement, comfort, fellowship, affection, compassion, should all thrive here, in this church
3 - We are to be of the same mind, love the same things, united in one spirit, intent on one purpose
“Satan does not fear a large church; he fears a united church” – Dobbins
He does not care how big we get; he just wants us to abandon, or turn on each other; why does he use these tactics? Because they work, and sometimes we allow them to
4 - maturing Christians grow from “me” to “we”; not, “what’s good for me” but ”what’s good for us”
You cannot build a church on consumers; you build a church on contributors; consumers take; contributors give
5 - a lasting hallmark of a disciple of Jesus is to have His mindset- if we could not think like Christ, Paul would not ask us to; a mark of a maturing Christian is to bring one’s thoughts daily under the Lordship of Christ
“out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” Lk 6.45
