The Attitude of Christ - Philippians 2:5-11
The Attitude of Christ - Philippians 2:5-11
By Pastor Lee Hemen
April 26, 2009 AM
When we look into the pages of Scripture we discover a portraiture of Jesus that is truly amazing. It is amazing because we realize that even though He was God in human flesh, He willingly took upon Himself the mantle of humanity and all of its frailty. But He not only willingly did this but Jesus also demonstrates for us that we as human beings do have the capability to live lives worthy of the Lord. We can indeed be the people He desires us to be. Jesus has shown us the way for this to be true in Him. It is the attitude that all Christians should display as we walk in the Lord.
Over the centuries there have been many portraits and painting depicting Jesus. Of course we have no idea what Jesus physically looked like, but we do have a pretty good idea as to how He lived and what He believed. In fact, we get a very good picture of who Jesus was by those who walked with Him and wrote about Him. Those who knew Him intimately give us a wonderful portrait of Jesus. Paul came to know Jesus intimately as well. We find that in our lives lived for Jesus we can also come to know His features so that we can get a clear picture of who Jesus is. Paul writes the Philippians just what their manner in life should be because of Jesus and His example. He says, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus!” (Philippians 2:5) This morning we can discover, with the help of Paul, what the attitude of Christ is to be in our lives…
READ: Philippians 2:5-11
Some folks tell others, “Don’t do as I do, do as I say!” This is hypocritical. We show others what we truly believe and what we really think about ourselves and our lives by the way we live. This is especially true of Christians. To say you are a “Christian” means nothing until others see Christ in you. It is a way of thinking, a way of living, a specific attitude. As we look at Jesus we discover that…
I. The attitude of Christ is one of service!
1. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) The attitude of service in the Christian church has gone out of vogue. Too many seek first what pleases them rather than what pleases God. We would do well to remember that Christians are to be like Christ in every area of their lives. We are recreated to serve others before ourselves. If the Son of God “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,” should not His followers do likewise? Servanthood is hard to grasp when you want to always be first. Paul would write, “we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work!” (Colossians 1:10) Why? Because Paul knew that God “has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14) Our attitude of service should come from our changed nature. Jesus was a servant, His followers should be as well: “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13) The attitude of Christ is one of service.
EXAMPLE: A potluck lunch was happening at a church and one of the older Deacons told some of the youth, “You are acting just like Jesus’ disciples.” Puzzled, they wanted to know what he meant. He reminded them that Jesus had once told His followers some startling news after they had been arguing about who should sit on His left or right in places of honor. Jesus related that only those who were ungodly sought to be first but, “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26-28) Christians sometimes forget that we “were called to be free” and not to use our “freedom to indulge the sinful nature” but rather to “serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13) Our “attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,” one of service!
We can serve with the wrong motives, thinking that we are gaining something in return for our efforts. Or we can serve with a begrudgingly, with insincerity and a non-conformed heart simply out of duty. But, service that is genuine and real comes from the attitude of Christ. Therefore, we discover that…
II. The attitude of Christ is one of humility!
1. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love… He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. (John 13:1, 5) Humility is something everyone readily wants others to convey to them first, but rarely express it themselves! We willingly admire those who seem to be truly humble in nature, like a Mother Teresa or a Billy Graham, but few folks practice humility. In fact, many in our day see it as awkward, a weakness, and have totally forgotten that all Christians are called to a life of humility. Perhaps it is because we misunderstand what true humility is. It is not being weak-willed, limp-wristed, or soft-spoken. Paul would write, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:1-2) Humility seeks the best for others and never places oneself above another. It is not self-abasement but rather an inner strength and quality of character. The Proverbist writes that “Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.” (Proverbs 22:4) Paul says that Jesus “being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient.” And that is what true humility is for the believer! Obedience to the Lord first and foremost! It demands integrity, being true to one’s faith, and practicing it even when it is not fashionable. Humility does not seek its own, but is happy when others benefit from its practice. The attitude of Christ is one of humility.
EXAMPLE: We will speak of Jesus’ sacrifice in a moment, but in the picture of Christ we see painted with bold strokes the glorious color of humility. When He stood before the Sanhedrin and was falsely accused, beaten, and ridiculed; when He silently stood before Herod who wanted a private performance from Him; and especially when He stood tall before His Roman judge we see in Jesus a strong beautiful vibrant humility that is unashamed in all of its glory. Yet for those who claim Jesus what kind of humility do we discover? Do we find the humble lines of the Master’s brush strokes on the life of His followers? Does the world stand in awe of the Christian who displays the same humility? Dearly beloved remember Paul writes that “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” who “humbled himself and became obedient!” There, in that picture, is found a humility that stops the world and will give a sinful heart pause. Pilate could only utter in response, “I find no basis for a charge against this man!” (Luke 23:4) Could the same be said of you? Our “attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,” one of humility!
There is nothing worse than false piety. It can be brought about because we think that by being humble and serving we deserve a certain acquiescence from God and others of our display. Also, we can begin to fool ourselves into thinking that we have arrived spiritually and have reached a state whereby we understand deeper spiritual truth when in reality we do so out of emotions or desire rather than a true revealing of what is holy or not. True humility and service comes from an attitude of Christ. We therefore finally discover this morning that…
III. The attitude of Christ is one of sacrifice!
1. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2) Sacrifice goes hand-in-hand with service and humility. It is part of the package, so-to-speak, because when Jesus humbled Himself He displayed sacrifice by being “obedient to death— even death on a cross!” He obeyed God and became our sacrifice by willing dying for our sins. We do not want to hear it, but it is this same cross-like death all Christians are called to as well. No, we are not called necessarily to be beaten, nailed to crossbeams, and exposed to the world in shame. However, we are called to a life of sacrifice as Christians. Christians are called to be “living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God,” which “is our “spiritual act of worship!” (Romans 12:1) We may have heard this so often that we begin to misunderstand what it means. Let’s therefore remind ourselves of what Paul is teaching us here. Paul had just gotten through writing about God’s mercy to us “disobedient” sinners. He then waxes eloquent about by asking “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” (Romans 11:35) And the answer is: “None!” Paul says we can begin, “in view of God's mercy,” by offering our “bodies as living sacrifices!” Just as Jesus gave Himself for us as a sacrifice, so we can now as His followers give ourselves away as sacrifices to the Lord for His use in His body the church. Paul says “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought” (Romans 12:3) but rather with sober judgment we should serve one another as “one body,” where “each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:5) We sacrifice when it costs us something, like our time, our talent, and our treasure. “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” who sacrificed Himself for you! The attitude of Christ is one of sacrifice!
EXAMPLE: Sacrifice is more than recycling our left over junk. It is more than giving God a few moments of our time or the leftover pickings of our paycheck. Sacrifice demands exactly what it describes: Forgoing and surrendering our wants, desires, and needs to the glory of God! It costs the individual dearly. It is more than a “Lential” self-imposed half-hearted giving up of TV for a month or not eating sweets for 40 days. It is more than throwing God your leftovers and expecting to be blessed in return for your less than half-heartedness. Bible-believing Christians do not sacrifice in order to get into God’s good graces, they sacrifice because that is how a Christian lives their lives for the Lord – period, end of story. I am constantly amazed and shocked that there are self-imposed theological ignoramuses, who call themselves believers, that actually think they need to return to a false mysticism of giving up something for God, one time a year, in order to gain some kind of favor from Him. UGH! Double ugh! John lays it straight up when he writes: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.” (1 John 3:1) When we try to appease God, we are claiming that we truly do not know Him! If, however, we are living lives of sacrifice because we have already been changed from within through the power of the Holy Spirit, then we know we do not need to “do” something for God, we just live a life of sacrifice! Why? Our “attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,” one of sacrifice!
Conclusion:
Christians are to display in their lives the attitude of Christ. It is an attitude of service, humility, and sacrifice. Do you display the attitude of Christ in your Christianity?---This article is the copyrighted 2009 © property of Lee Hemen and may not be copied or reproduced in any way shape or form without using the full text of this entire article, and getting the permission of its author.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
April 26, 2009 AM
When we look into the pages of Scripture we discover a portraiture of Jesus that is truly amazing. It is amazing because we realize that even though He was God in human flesh, He willingly took upon Himself the mantle of humanity and all of its frailty. But He not only willingly did this but Jesus also demonstrates for us that we as human beings do have the capability to live lives worthy of the Lord. We can indeed be the people He desires us to be. Jesus has shown us the way for this to be true in Him. It is the attitude that all Christians should display as we walk in the Lord.
Over the centuries there have been many portraits and painting depicting Jesus. Of course we have no idea what Jesus physically looked like, but we do have a pretty good idea as to how He lived and what He believed. In fact, we get a very good picture of who Jesus was by those who walked with Him and wrote about Him. Those who knew Him intimately give us a wonderful portrait of Jesus. Paul came to know Jesus intimately as well. We find that in our lives lived for Jesus we can also come to know His features so that we can get a clear picture of who Jesus is. Paul writes the Philippians just what their manner in life should be because of Jesus and His example. He says, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus!” (Philippians 2:5) This morning we can discover, with the help of Paul, what the attitude of Christ is to be in our lives…
READ: Philippians 2:5-11
Some folks tell others, “Don’t do as I do, do as I say!” This is hypocritical. We show others what we truly believe and what we really think about ourselves and our lives by the way we live. This is especially true of Christians. To say you are a “Christian” means nothing until others see Christ in you. It is a way of thinking, a way of living, a specific attitude. As we look at Jesus we discover that…
I. The attitude of Christ is one of service!
1. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) The attitude of service in the Christian church has gone out of vogue. Too many seek first what pleases them rather than what pleases God. We would do well to remember that Christians are to be like Christ in every area of their lives. We are recreated to serve others before ourselves. If the Son of God “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,” should not His followers do likewise? Servanthood is hard to grasp when you want to always be first. Paul would write, “we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work!” (Colossians 1:10) Why? Because Paul knew that God “has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14) Our attitude of service should come from our changed nature. Jesus was a servant, His followers should be as well: “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13) The attitude of Christ is one of service.
EXAMPLE: A potluck lunch was happening at a church and one of the older Deacons told some of the youth, “You are acting just like Jesus’ disciples.” Puzzled, they wanted to know what he meant. He reminded them that Jesus had once told His followers some startling news after they had been arguing about who should sit on His left or right in places of honor. Jesus related that only those who were ungodly sought to be first but, “Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26-28) Christians sometimes forget that we “were called to be free” and not to use our “freedom to indulge the sinful nature” but rather to “serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13) Our “attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,” one of service!
We can serve with the wrong motives, thinking that we are gaining something in return for our efforts. Or we can serve with a begrudgingly, with insincerity and a non-conformed heart simply out of duty. But, service that is genuine and real comes from the attitude of Christ. Therefore, we discover that…
II. The attitude of Christ is one of humility!
1. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love… He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. (John 13:1, 5) Humility is something everyone readily wants others to convey to them first, but rarely express it themselves! We willingly admire those who seem to be truly humble in nature, like a Mother Teresa or a Billy Graham, but few folks practice humility. In fact, many in our day see it as awkward, a weakness, and have totally forgotten that all Christians are called to a life of humility. Perhaps it is because we misunderstand what true humility is. It is not being weak-willed, limp-wristed, or soft-spoken. Paul would write, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:1-2) Humility seeks the best for others and never places oneself above another. It is not self-abasement but rather an inner strength and quality of character. The Proverbist writes that “Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.” (Proverbs 22:4) Paul says that Jesus “being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient.” And that is what true humility is for the believer! Obedience to the Lord first and foremost! It demands integrity, being true to one’s faith, and practicing it even when it is not fashionable. Humility does not seek its own, but is happy when others benefit from its practice. The attitude of Christ is one of humility.
EXAMPLE: We will speak of Jesus’ sacrifice in a moment, but in the picture of Christ we see painted with bold strokes the glorious color of humility. When He stood before the Sanhedrin and was falsely accused, beaten, and ridiculed; when He silently stood before Herod who wanted a private performance from Him; and especially when He stood tall before His Roman judge we see in Jesus a strong beautiful vibrant humility that is unashamed in all of its glory. Yet for those who claim Jesus what kind of humility do we discover? Do we find the humble lines of the Master’s brush strokes on the life of His followers? Does the world stand in awe of the Christian who displays the same humility? Dearly beloved remember Paul writes that “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” who “humbled himself and became obedient!” There, in that picture, is found a humility that stops the world and will give a sinful heart pause. Pilate could only utter in response, “I find no basis for a charge against this man!” (Luke 23:4) Could the same be said of you? Our “attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,” one of humility!
There is nothing worse than false piety. It can be brought about because we think that by being humble and serving we deserve a certain acquiescence from God and others of our display. Also, we can begin to fool ourselves into thinking that we have arrived spiritually and have reached a state whereby we understand deeper spiritual truth when in reality we do so out of emotions or desire rather than a true revealing of what is holy or not. True humility and service comes from an attitude of Christ. We therefore finally discover this morning that…
III. The attitude of Christ is one of sacrifice!
1. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2) Sacrifice goes hand-in-hand with service and humility. It is part of the package, so-to-speak, because when Jesus humbled Himself He displayed sacrifice by being “obedient to death— even death on a cross!” He obeyed God and became our sacrifice by willing dying for our sins. We do not want to hear it, but it is this same cross-like death all Christians are called to as well. No, we are not called necessarily to be beaten, nailed to crossbeams, and exposed to the world in shame. However, we are called to a life of sacrifice as Christians. Christians are called to be “living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God,” which “is our “spiritual act of worship!” (Romans 12:1) We may have heard this so often that we begin to misunderstand what it means. Let’s therefore remind ourselves of what Paul is teaching us here. Paul had just gotten through writing about God’s mercy to us “disobedient” sinners. He then waxes eloquent about by asking “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” (Romans 11:35) And the answer is: “None!” Paul says we can begin, “in view of God's mercy,” by offering our “bodies as living sacrifices!” Just as Jesus gave Himself for us as a sacrifice, so we can now as His followers give ourselves away as sacrifices to the Lord for His use in His body the church. Paul says “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought” (Romans 12:3) but rather with sober judgment we should serve one another as “one body,” where “each member belongs to all the others.” (Romans 12:5) We sacrifice when it costs us something, like our time, our talent, and our treasure. “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” who sacrificed Himself for you! The attitude of Christ is one of sacrifice!
EXAMPLE: Sacrifice is more than recycling our left over junk. It is more than giving God a few moments of our time or the leftover pickings of our paycheck. Sacrifice demands exactly what it describes: Forgoing and surrendering our wants, desires, and needs to the glory of God! It costs the individual dearly. It is more than a “Lential” self-imposed half-hearted giving up of TV for a month or not eating sweets for 40 days. It is more than throwing God your leftovers and expecting to be blessed in return for your less than half-heartedness. Bible-believing Christians do not sacrifice in order to get into God’s good graces, they sacrifice because that is how a Christian lives their lives for the Lord – period, end of story. I am constantly amazed and shocked that there are self-imposed theological ignoramuses, who call themselves believers, that actually think they need to return to a false mysticism of giving up something for God, one time a year, in order to gain some kind of favor from Him. UGH! Double ugh! John lays it straight up when he writes: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.” (1 John 3:1) When we try to appease God, we are claiming that we truly do not know Him! If, however, we are living lives of sacrifice because we have already been changed from within through the power of the Holy Spirit, then we know we do not need to “do” something for God, we just live a life of sacrifice! Why? Our “attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus,” one of sacrifice!
Conclusion:
Christians are to display in their lives the attitude of Christ. It is an attitude of service, humility, and sacrifice. Do you display the attitude of Christ in your Christianity?---This article is the copyrighted 2009 © property of Lee Hemen and may not be copied or reproduced in any way shape or form without using the full text of this entire article, and getting the permission of its author.
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