"Having a Christ-like Attitude" (Phil 2:3-11)

this morning we're going to look at Philippians chapter 2 verses 3 through 11 thinking about having a christ-like attitude our attitude is key in our lives and in the Greek it has an idea of our thinking and our thinking Pro projects on to our attitude and from our attitude comes our actions so just as proverbs 23:7 says for as he thinks within himself so is e so our thoughts come our actions and the ultimate action the ultimate thing that all believers want to do is to become conformed to the image of Christ that is our goal and that is what we are living our lives like those of us who have bad attitudes are usually those people who have who are being pushed down by the world by other people around us the people with positive attitudes are usually the people who are up in the higher positions and a lot of times are the people who are pushing people down but the truth is if we want to have a christ-like attitude that's an attitude of humility that as we are serving other people being bondservants as Jesus Christ is a bondservant of God the Father as we are servants of other people putting them ahead of ourselves living a life of humility we will see it as a joyous life just as Jesus Christ did in Hebrews chapter 12 it says who for the joy set before him endured the cross despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God God in the man of Jesus Christ left the glories of heaven and knew what his purpose was and what he was going to have to fulfill here on this earth but he saw it as a joyous thing well the book of Philippians is written by Paul in approximately 61 AD he went to the Church of Philippi on both his second and third missionary journeys and if you were in Sunday school not too long ago you'll remember that going through the book of Acts that is chapters 16 17 and 18 when Paul went of baking that he went on that second missionary journey and he went through Philip I and then in 19 and 21 his third missionary journey when it was not so funny he he went through Philip I on both of those two journeys after the ship of state in Acts chapter 28 he ends up in prison in Rome and he writes back to the church at Philippi and he is writing to them telling them to have joy he says in Philippians 4:4 rejoice in the Lord always again I say rejoice he also talks to them about unity evidently there are some things that are going on within the church that are causing this disunity he even calls out some specific people in this book but that is what our passage is looking at even this morning because it begins back in Philippians 1:27 when he says only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ he says do that worthy of the gospel Christ so that whether I come to see you or remain absent I will hear of you that you're standing firm and one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel he goes on in Philippians chapter 2 verse 2 and says make my joy complete by being of the same mind maintaining the same love united in spirit intent on one purpose we here at Stillwater Bible have one purpose and that purpose is to make disciples of Jesus Christ and we need to be unified we need to be intent on that purpose of evangelism taking the good news of Jesus Christ to the fallen world outside of the walls of this church and then disciple in one another building up one another encouraging one another and teaching one another God's Word so that we can be trained to obey to live out all that God's Word commands us to do so that's what we are to do but how can we have humility or how can we have unity without humility without putting others ahead of ourselves and the truth is we can't and that's why he gives them this charge as we'll see in Philippians chapter 2 verses 3 and 4 we're going to see the charge the charge of humility of putting others ahead of ourselves then we're going to see the perfect example in that in the life of Jesus Christ who humbled himself to the point of death even the death on the cross and then we're going to see the results the exultation it is God is the one who exalts God is the one who lifts him up and it is God who gets the glory in everything that is done so let's begin by looking back at Philippians chapter 2 beginning at verses 3 and 4 he says do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit but with humility of mind regard one another is more important than yourselves do not merely look out for your own personal interests but also for the interests of others do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit how hard is that all the time we're thinking in the back of our minds what's in it for me what are you gonna do for me if I do this for you how can I get ahead of you what more are you gonna give to me I don't just want you to give back equal I want more out of what I'm giving to you and that's the way that the world thinks and if we think from a worldly mindset that's the way we're gonna think but we need to have a christ-like attitude we need to think about the eternal so let me ask you this question is it okay to do things thinking about eternal rewards what's in it for me for all eternity if I serve Jesus Christ and the truth is that is perfectly fine Paul tells us in 1st Corinthians chapter 9 verses 24 through 27 he says run the race so that you may get the prize so what we're doing here on this earth does have an effect on us for all eternity how we live on this earth has nothing to do with where we'll live out all eternity because where we live out all eternity is based on our faith in Jesus Christ but how we'll live out all eternity is based on our service and how we live in this present life so we need to be thinking about that as we live our lives looking to the future to the eternal and doing things for that reason he goes on and says but with humility of mind regard one another is more important yourselves humility is key if we're gonna have an attitude if we're gonna live like Christ we have to live a life of humility in 1st Peter chapter 5 verses 5 and 6 Peter says clothe yourselves with humility toward one another clothe yourselves in humility towards one another that means putting all of the other people in this room ahead of yourselves because he's talking to the church and he's telling them clothe ourselves in humility he goes on to say for God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble he says therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you at the proper time we are going to see the ultimate act of humility in the person of Jesus Christ who left the glories of heaven who became a man and lived with fallen man who died on the cross a shameful death but it was God who exalted him to the place where every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord humility is defined right here in verses 3 and 4 and it's seeing others as more important than yourselves in the world that we're living in is that the way the world looks at things no they're always looking out for number one what's in it for me how am I going to get ahead of you who are here beside me how can i exalt myself to a greater position but it's not us who exalts it is God who exalts we are here to live not for the moment but we are too here to live for all eternity one day if we live a life of humility a life like we see in the person of Jesus Christ then God will exalt us in that time maybe nearer or it may be far but we're looking for the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior when we can stand before him and we want to hear him say well done good and faithful servant so we've seen the charge and the charges humility living a life here on this earth of humility putting others their thoughts there they're things that they need their time above your own now let's look at the perfect example in Jesus Christ look at verse five it says have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus what kind of attitude is this this is the one like we saw back in verses in the previous two verses we see it is a life of humility putting others ahead of ourselves he is the ultimate example and we are to think like him and we are to live like him verse 6 it goes on and says who although existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped he was God whenever he came here he was God himself he didn't have to hang on to that he was pleased to leave the glories of heaven he did what the Father's will was he wasn't here to fulfill his own plan he was here to fulfill the Father's plan and that plan was to die on the cross to be the savior for you and for me so that we could simply by faith alone in Christ alone have as a gift eternal life so he has a plan for your life as well all of us know Ephesians 2:8 9 for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves and we're so excited about that that it's not based on how that we live that we get eternal life it is by grace through faith simply placing our faith in the person of Jesus Christ we get eternal life but many of us stop there and we don't look at verse 10 which says for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them he has a purpose for each and every one of your lives and that purpose is to make disciples that purpose is to be where you're at right now in the job that you're at in the community that you're at in the in the neighborhood that you're at to fulfill his purpose of making disciples right where you are we need to take the good news message that we find in this place every Sunday morning out to a lost and dying world now let's understand some other things going back to verse 6 it says who although he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped but he emptied himself Jesus Christ existed in the form of God but he didn't have to hang on to that because he was God in verse 7 where it says that he emptied himself he did not empty himself from being God he was 100% God while he was on this earth and he was 100% man while he was on this earth we can't comprehend that we can't understand it but we can believe that it is truth because the Bible tells us it is so if he had have been 100% God in appearance we couldn't have seen him because he would have shined his light would have shined so bright but you remember in on the Mount of Transfiguration whenever he revealed his glory and there was such a bright light you remember in the garden whenever he revealed his glory and the people fell down before him Jesus Christ if he had not come in flesh and blood we wouldn't have been able to see him even if you remember Acts chapter 9 after Jesus Christ had ascended back into heaven and Saul was on that journey to Damascus you remember nine as shine and that light appeared and Saul was blinded by the light because God in all of his glory would have blinded us so he became a man in flesh and blood to hold in some of that glory but he showed us who God was while he was on this earth and he was God while he was on this earth John 1:1 says in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and then in John 1:14 it says and the word became flesh and dwelt among us he was God while he was on this earth in John 10:30 he said I and the father are one you remember back through our study of the Gospel of John there are the seven I am statements were Jesus Christ is saying that he is God Jesus Christ was God from eternity past Jesus Christ was God while he was here on this earth Jesus Christ is God right now seated at the right hand of the Father and he will be God for all eternity but now let's think about Jesus Christ from the man's side he emptied himself taking the form of a bondservant being made in the likeness of men he emptied himself from the Godhead position to the position of becoming a bond slave a servant in mark 10:45 for even the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and give his life a ransom for many he gave his life for you and for me that's why he left the glories of heaven he left that high and exalted position in which he was and came to live with man live in a world that God allows Satan to control live in a world where Satan could tempt him that's where Jesus came to he humbled himself by becoming a man he was being made in the likeness of men he was like men in many ways in verse eight it says he was found in appearance as a man he looked like a man he talked like a man he had feelings like a man jesus wept Jesus was a man but yet he was different he came into the world without sin Isaiah 7:14 said that he would be born of a virgin he would come a virgin birth and Galatians 4:4 says in the fullness of time God sent forth his son born of a woman he wasn't conceived of a man and woman he was conceived of the holy spirit and a virgin woman he came into the world without sin he lived in the world and was tempted just as you and I are but he did it without sin so God was with us God was 100% man while he was here on this earth going on in verse 8 it says be found in appearance as a man he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even the death on a cross he appeared as a man but his outward appearance revealed his permanent inner quality but the ultimate reason he became 100 percent man fully 100 percent man was so that he could die in our place was Jesus Christ a great great teacher yes he was the scriptures all through the Gospels say that he went to the synagogue and he and he taught the people the scriptures it says that he taught crowds he taught the disciples he was a great teacher was he a great physician yes he was he healed people just by the word of his mouth he healed people as he touched them people were healed as they touched his garments he was a great physician but that was not the ultimate purpose of him becoming a man Jesus Christ became a man to die in our place this was his whole purpose of him becoming man the story of the Bible as JB says often Jesus Christ is the is the way that we get back to the Father the perfect righteous God brings sinful man back to himself using the god man Jesus Christ his son the blood of bulls and goats could not pay for sin they could only cover it only the perfect blood of the Lamb of God could pay for the sins of all times that's why Jesus Christ came because he bore in his body our sins your sins my sins the sins of the entire world he bore them in his body he is the satisfactory payment not for our sins only but for the sins of the entire world well the truth is if there is anyone sitting here today who has never put their faith in Jesus Christ right where you're sitting you can believe in him and he offers you as a gift eternal life it's not about what you have done what you are doing or what you ever will do in the future it's based on what Jesus Christ has already done he bore in his body your sins on the cross he didn't stay in graves he was raised three days later he conquered death the only way that Jesus Christ can give you life is because death has been conquered and whosoever believes in Him will not perish but has present-tense ever lasting life believe in him and he offers you that gift well Jesus Christ he was obedient to the point of death even the death on a cross not just any other death not just a normal death but even the death on the cross a shameful death a tormenting death they beat him before they hung him on that cross we should never take that for granted what Christ did for us but how should we live first John 3:16 says we know loved by this that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren so how are we living have we laid down our lives for those around us have we done as Roman 12 Romans 12:1 tells us to do to offer our lives as living sacrifices first Peter 2:24 says he bore in his body our sins on the cross for what reason so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness we who have believed in Jesus Christ are to give our lives to other we are to die to sin and live to righteousness we are to live righteously and godly in this present age looking for the Blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ Jesus Christ died to pay for the sins of all people and we are to live in a way that shows this to others we need to live like Christ lived and we need to be willing to give it all up to to live in humility to humble ourselves under other people and the truth is if we follow Jesus Christ example one day we will be exalted just as Christ himself was exalted look at verses 9 through 11 and we see the results for this reason also for what reason for the reason that Christ humbled himself to the point of death even the death on the cross what happened God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name because God in the person of Jesus Christ was willing to give up everything Christ God the Father exalted Christ to this high position that every knee will bow that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord he goes on and says that at verse 10 so at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth it does not matter who you are or who others are around you every day one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess one day everyone will realize who Jesus Christ is as the king of kings and the Lord of lords they will understand that he is the savior of the world but it is our responsibility as believers to let everyone know today because if it's after they leave this earth if they die and pass on then it will be too late for them that's why and we never know when that time is going to be we never know if we're going to have tomorrow so we need to be urgent about what we are doing to go out into this lost community and tell them the good news message of Jesus Christ because one day whether they are believers or unbelievers every knee will bow those who are in heaven on earth and under the earth will realize who Jesus Christ is it goes on in verse 11 and says that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father just as I said they will realize that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father it is God who always gets the glory the ultimate outcome of every circumstance is God getting the glory whether it's Jesus Christ leaving the glories of heaven and dying on that cross God was glorified through that suffering that he had to go through and it was God who is exalted as Jesus Christ was raised from the dead it was God who we who was glorified as Jesus Christ is seated at his right hand and Colossians 3:17 says whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks through him to God the Father give thanks to God give him the glory for all that he allows us to do for him even if it means suffering for his sake we've got to stand firm in the fallen world that we live in we need to see it a blessing that he has chosen us who have put our faith in Him to be his servants to go out into this community and to be his ambassadors his representatives we are here to represent Jesus Christ on this earth and it matters how we live so what have we seen we have seen the charges humility putting others ahead of ourselves we have seen the perfect example in Jesus Christ the one who was 100% God and 100% man and finally we have seen the results that God is the one who exalts and it is God who gets the glory so let's think about some applications and number one is put others ahead of yourself this is hard to do is that not but Jesus Christ he was 100% man and 100% God whenever he lived on this earth and so it was a little easier for him to live a life of humility you think but the truth is each and every one of us in our flesh and blood we have all of us who have put our faith in Jesus Christ have the Holy Spirit living inside of us we have Jesus Christ living inside of us we have God the Father living inside of us so as we live a life we don't live it in the power of the flesh we live it in the power of the Holy Spirit and if we live a life in the power of the Holy Spirit we'll be able to live a life of humility putting others ahead of ourselves number two is with Christ as our example let's lay down our lives for others just as I quoted him first John 3:16 he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the Brethren how are you living your life are you taking time for others around you are you making disciples of people are you taking time is that put in your schedule to meet with other people to evangelize and to train other people in God's Word that's what God has left us here for he has a purpose for each and every one of our lives let's live with cry live like Christ as our example and number three let's live life in light of God getting the glory whatever we do let's give God the glory whether it is sacrificing for him whether it is talking to people and leading 50 people to Christ let's don't take the glory for ourselves because it is not us that is doing it it is God through you and God is the one who deserves the glory give him the glory for all the great things that he has done give him the glory for all that he allows you to do for him even if it means suffering for his sake let's put others ahead of ourselves let's don't worry about what the world's going to say if I witness to this person or to that person let's don't worry about what our friends are gonna say let's don't worry about what that person is gonna say and how they may think that I'm some kind of a religious freak because I'm talking to them about Jesus Christ let's give them the good news message because that's what humility is not worrying about what others think but worrying about what drivers you

Channel: Stillwater Bible Church

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Keywords: Bible Study, Stillwater Bible Church, stwbible, Stillwater Bible, Jesus Christ, gospel, Bryan James, SBC, Philippians 2:3-11, humility

Id: M5BIB2arDEY

Length: 27min 50sec (1670 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 16 2013