Php 2:1 ¶ Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Last week, we looked at this little book, and saw that it was very joyful. We made the observation that it was written from a Roman jail, which meant it was awful. And we said, “Hey, if I find it hard to have joy in my nice house, with a good job and a little money left over to spend, and a nice car, WHAT is joy doing in a JAIL?!”
Joy is the emotional result of right spiritual choices. You make the right choices, you have joy!
Last week, we examined the first choice we have to make to have joy: Focus on the right things! This week, we’re looking at the second choice that you have to make: Think like Jesus! “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…”
Jesus thought differently than other people!
- He though differently than the religious leaders of his day. He believed in giving people another chance. Once a woman caught right in the act of adultery - she had been caught WITH the other man - was brought to him. The religious leaders wanted to kill her, but Jesus said “Let the one who is without sin throw the first stone.” Slowly, the accusers all walked away. Then Jesus turned to the woman and said, “Go, and sin no more!” He gave her another chance to do the right thing, because Jesus thought differently!
- Jesus thought differently than rich people.
- Jesus thought differently than even his followers! In those days it was customary for a servant to wash the guests feet. In one house, no one ever came to do that job. So Jesus grabbed a towel and a bowl of water, and washed their feet!
The Bible tells us that if we want joy, we have to think like Jesus. . . but how did Jesus think? Let’s look at this passage and see if we can see some ways that Jesus thought differently than others.
1. Didn’t insist on his rights. (V. 5-7)
God asks us to think like Jesus. Jesus didn’t make his RIGHTS the most important thing! IN other words, God calls us to live “others-first” in a “ME-FIRST” world.
In the summer of 1986, two ships collided in the Black Sea off the coast of Russia. Hundreds of passengers died as they were hurled into the icy waters below. News of the disaster was further darkened when an investigation revealed the cause of the accident. It wasn’t a technology problem like radar malfunction--or even thick fog. The cause was human stubbornness. Each captain was aware of the other ship’s presence nearby. Both could have steered clear, but according to news reports, neither captain wanted to give way to the other. Each was too proud to yield first. By the time they came to their senses, it was too late.
ACTION STEP: Examine your life - do you put your rights first, and don’t care what happens to others?
2. Made a commitment to serve others. (V. 7)
Jesus didn’t just say, “Oh, no, really…. Others first!” He actually acted on it. He actually left heaven.
He actually became a human and walked on this earth. He knew what it was to be hungry, to be sad, to cry, and to laugh.
The Bible says that we have a “high priests [Jesus] who is touched with the feelings of our weakness...” You know why he’s touched? Because he’s been there
They did; they laid modern iron pipes. They gave the ancient bricks and mortar a reverent rest. And the aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating on the dry mortar caused it to crumble. The bricks and stone sagged and threatened to fall. When it stopped serving others, things started to fall apart.
3. Valued our lives over his. (V. 8)
Now, you might be thinking, “Right. . . it sounds good, but there’s really no joy in serving others and looking out for them first! That’s just baloney!”
Well, I can tell you this:
God, who made you and understands you better than anyone else, KNOWS that serving others brings joy. Jesus himself put your needs first because it brought great joy to him to serve others.
You may think, “Well, Jesus wasn’t joyful about going to die for me on the cross, was he?”
Look at this Scripture with me: Heb. 12:2 “Jesus…who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising its shame….”
JESUS KNEW that serving others by dying on the cross brought greater joy than trying to hang onto his rights!
GOD has set you up the same way. You can try to be happy looking out for #1. You can try to get all the money, power, fame, or other things you may want. But it will never work!!!! You know why? Because God set us up so that when we look out for others, and put their needs first, and our rights last - we find joy for ourselves.
I’m not saying you need to go and die on a cross for someone – but couldn’t you give your life to helping others? Everyone else will tell you, “HEY, you’ve only got one life, LIVE IT!!” But Jesus will tell you, “You’ve only got one life, so give it away by helping others.”
Boarding the SS Dorchester on a dreary winter day in 1943 were 903 troops and four chaplains, including Moody alumnus Lt. George Fox. World War II was in full swing, and the ship was headed across the icy North Atlantic where German U-boats lurked. At 12:00 on the morning of February 3, a German torpedo ripped into the ship. "She’s going down!" the men cried, scrambling for lifeboats.
A young GI crept up to one of the chaplains. "I’ve lost my life jacket," he said. "Take this," the chaplain said, handing the soldier his jacket. Before the ship sank, each chaplain gave his life jacket to another man. The heroic chaplains then linked arms and lifted their voices in prayer as the Dorchester went down.
