The mind of Christ is evidenced by spiritual affection, discernment, reality, and fruitfulness, as requested in Paul's prayer and revealed in his posture and plea. Paul's own life demonstrates these qualities, showing how his imprisonment furthered the gospel through spiritual discernment, affection, reality, and fruit. He pleads with believers to live by the gospel, striving with one mind, exhibiting spiritual reality through their citizenship in heaven and their actions. This unity and lowliness of mind, characterized by esteeming others and focusing on their needs, are crucial for spiritual fruitfulness and demonstrate true spiritual affection and discernment.
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Did I talk to you long enough for you to find Philippians one without embarrassment? Then we are going to read from verse twelve. We've noticed that the theme of this epistle is the mind of Christ, and the key text, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, a very well-known text. We observed, just in passing, by way of introduction, that we believe in these four chapters we have four things associated with the mind of Christ. First of all we have the evidences of the mind of Christ, and then we have the examples of the mind of Christ, thirdly we have the enemies of the mind of Christ, and finally the effects of the mind of Christ.
And I hope we're going to be able to cover all of that ground during these evening sessions. We spent a little time on Sunday night looking at the background of the epistle. Notice that it falls into a group of four letters called Christological. That, of course, is logical, seeing that the theme of the letter is the mind of Christ. In the first two verses we had an introduction. I'm not going to go back over them, but then beginning at verse three, the section that has to do with the evidences of the mind of Christ.
Now, this section is going to take us from that third verse in chapter one through the fourth verse in chapter two. And there are three things in this portion. There is a prayer. in which the evidences of the mind of Christ are requested by the Apostle Paul. He says in verse three, Always in every prayer of mine for you all, making request with joy, verse nine, And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all judgment.
That's evidence number one, spiritual affection. that ye may approve things that are excellent, or try the things that differ. This is evidence number two, spiritual discernment. That ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, and here is the third evidence, spiritual reality, and finally spiritual fruit, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. So these four evidences of the mind of Christ are requested in Paul's prayer.
But the Apostle Paul does not pray for others those things that have not been developed in his own experience. And we see these four things that are requested in his prayer, reflected in his posture, in the attitude that he adopts, both to his bonds and to his future. We observed just as we ended on Sunday night that in verse twelve where he begins to manifest, to reveal, to demonstrate his own attitude and posture, that the evidence of spiritual discernment is immediately apparent.
He says, verse twelve, I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel. And we reminded ourselves he is not sitting in... his imprisonment, ringing his hands and asking, Why me? Instead, he can see much further than the end of his nose, and having spiritual discernment, he is able to realize that God is in this, even in his bonds and in his imprisonment, so that elsewhere he calls himself not the prisoner of the Jews, not the prisoner of the Romans, but the prisoner of Jesus Christ.
That's wonderful, that's beautiful, spiritual discernment. But did you notice how this verse twelve begins, I would ye should understand. Now he's writing to these Philippian believers, and a little earlier on in our chapter one he has said these things. He has said in verse three, I think of you. He has said in verse four, I pray for you. He has said in verse six, I have confidence in you, and in verse eight, I long after you. Now why all of these things on the part of the Apostle Paul toward the Philippians?
I'll tell you why. Because in verse seven he says, because I have you where? in my heart now there is spiritual affection the one who prays it for the philippians manifested in his own life both spiritual discernment and spiritual affection so much so that he can say to these believers i have you in my heart now he goes on and says this by the things that have happened to me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel.
Now that word furtherance is very interesting, just in passing, it's actually a construction word. It's a word that is used in the building of roads, and in roadmaking there has to be a removing of obstacles, and there has to be a cutting away of the underbrush and everything that would interfere. Now what Paul is saying here, this is the same sort of thing that has been taking place with the preaching of the gospel, and my imprisonment has prepared the way like the making of a road for the gospel of the Lord Jesus, so that my bonds in Christ are manifest.
Now the one who has demonstrated spiritual discernment and spiritual affection When he refers to my bonds in Christ, is obviously revealing his spiritual reality. He was so real, a believer, so real, a man, so real, a disciple of the Lord Jesus, that he did not hesitate to accept bonds for the cause of Jesus Christ. A man has to be real to pay that kind of price. And then you will notice it goes on to say, My bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places.
Now what we have here, of course, is spiritual fruit. So the four evidences of the mind of Christ that are requested in Paul's prayer are revealed in Paul's posture and his attitude. As we move on we come to a plea. Now the plea follows the prayer and the posture. And the four evidences that are found in the prayer and found in the posture are also found in the plea. Now let's go down for the sake of time to verse twenty seven. For the portion that is dealing with the prayer and the posture, goes on to verse twenty six, that your rejoicing may be more abundant in Christ Jesus for me by my coming to you again.
In the verses that I haven't read to you or even referred to, if you will read them, you will find the spiritual affection of the Apostle Paul again obvious. He says to depart and be with Christ is far better, and that's what I would like. But I love you so much that since it's needful for you that I remain, that's what I'm willing to accept, and I believe that that's the way that God is going to work it out. So unselfish and so concerned about these believers of whom he says, I have you in my heart. Now comes his plea, and it starts with verse twenty-seven, Only let your conversation be, as it becometh the Gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel.
Let your conversation be. Now you can hear the words of pleading here. This is a plea on the part of the apostle to these believers, and it goes on through these verses into verse four of chapter two. Now, will you notice some phrases in this portion? Verse twenty-seven, we're thinking about the mind of Christ, remember. One mind striving together. That's verse twenty-seven. Verse two of chapter two, fulfill ye my joy that ye be like-minded having the same love.
Notice that verse again. Fulfill ye my joy that ye be like-minded having the same love, being of one accord of one mind. And then verse three, let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Now here are four references to the mind. And again we have these four evidences of the mind of Christ.
if you are going to to comply with my word says Paul in effect if you're going to listen to and heed my plea you will be found first of all with one mind striving now this of course what we have here is a is a thought of effort being burdened, being deeply constrained. In fact, in this verse twenty-seven, there are two very interesting words. There's the word conversation. It's used another time in the epistle.
And there is the word scribing. And that also is only used one other time. And it is also in this epistle. Now the word conversation here means manner of life. manner of life and the thought is linked with when it's used in chapter three citizenship citizenship now i think we've had something of the responsibilities of a country toward its citizens manifested by the american nation toward the hostages that are being held for such a long time in iran it is because they are american citizens that the administration feels such a responsibility toward them.
Now, the citizen of a country has a demand upon that country. His expectations should not be, let me put that another way. He should be able to expect that his country will take up the cudgels for him. Now in Philippi the word that is translated to conversation that means citizenship is particularly appropriate because the people in Philippi were Roman citizens. And although Philippi was in Macedonia, the laws of Macedonia did not apply to Philippi.
Instead the laws of Rome did. So that Paul's reference to citizenship here would have a very apt application to the Philippians and they would understand it. Now we are citizens of heaven. And Paul is saying, in view of your citizenship, let your manner of life match up and be found with one mind striving. Now this is mind producing action. And here, of course, we have spiritual reality. It's the man who's not real who says, let George do it. It's the man who is real, who says, now what can I do, and he's going to stand up on his feet, and he's going to do all that he can.
With one mind striving. Now, that word striving is a Greek word sanatrio, from which we get our word athletic. Athletic. And what the thought is here, that you've got to strain everything you, like the athlete, not only preparing and training, but actually engaging in his sport, you've got to put everything that you have into it. Now, the Apostle Paul oftentimes uses the athlete as an illustration, as an example to us, and says, now, take this example and put it over into a spiritual background and make the same kind of effort, strain every sinew in the same way with one mind, and that mind of course is the Christ mind striving, straining every sinew.
This is mind demanding action. And that of course is one of the evidences of the Christ mind. It's the evidence of spiritual reality. Now, if we were to go a little further on in this epistle, we would find that God demands action in three areas of us as citizens of heaven and as athletes in a spiritual race, particularly in connection with our citizens here, he says, we have got to be active in living by the laws of the country of which we are citizens, that is the heavenly country. Living by the laws of the heavenly country.
Philippi, being a Roman colony, lived by the laws of Rome and the laws of Macedonia, had no effect upon Philippi. Now we are like Philippi in that sense. What is around us has no claim upon us. The world has no claim upon us. The flesh has no claim upon us. The devil has no claim upon us. And if we give place to the world, if we give place to the devil, if we give way to the flesh, it's because we ourselves are not living according to the laws of the heavenly country. The only one who has a claim upon us is the one who brought us with his own blood, the one who made us, the one who brought us into being.
He is the one and the only one who has a claim upon us. God demands that we strive. that we be active in living by the laws of the heavenly country. This is the only claim that is legitimately brought to bear upon us. And then God demands action not only in living by the laws of the heavenly country, but in striving in the interests of the heavenly country. That word striving is a strong one because God wants us to realize that serving Him is not to be a sideline, it's not to be a hobby, it's to be the very first thing in our lives, the consuming passion of our lives, as it was the consuming passion of the life of the Apostle Paul.
Now there are two ways that we can do this, according to these verses. Verse twenty seven says that I may hear of your affairs that ye stand fast in one spirit striving together for the faith of the gospel. Standing and striving. One is defensive and the other is offensive and there are times when the devil confronts us and then we must stand. But mark you, no believer is going to be a match for the devil He tries to stand in His own strength. When the Bible tells us to stand, it warns us we must do it, clad in the panoply of God, having on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel, in our hands the sword of the Spirit, and having the strategy of prayer.
It's all there in Ephesians chapter six. And again, it's worth noting, as others have noted before me, that there is no piece of armor for the back. When the devil confronts us, we're not meant to turn and run away from him. We are meant to stand, but to make sure that we do it, clad in the whole armor of God. So God demands action in living by the laws of the heavenly country. He demands action in striving in the interests of the heavenly country, and he demands action in believing in the triumph of the heavenly country.
Look at what he says in verse twenty-eight, and in nothing terrified by your adversaries. If you are a Christian tonight, you are not on the winning side. You are on the side that has already won. We are more than conquerors through him that loved us. And if we are going to allow our foes and our adversaries to terrify us, we are manifesting a lack of confidence in the heavenly country and the one who rules in the heavenly country. We have no business. to let our knees knock together, it matters not how strenuously our adversaries may be trying to oppose us, in nothing terrified by your adversaries.
Mind-producing action. I wonder if we are really up and doing for God. There is one of those four fruits, spiritual reality. Now let's go down into chapter two here. If there be, therefore, any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, and notice those four ifs, because they divide that verse up into four parts, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded having the same love. Now, which of the four evidences is this one?
Spiritual affection, like-minded having the same love. So here is the mind of Christ producing love, making believers of one mind and bound together in real spiritual affection. Now the if that occurs four times in verse one is a sort of challenging if. Paul is saying, if there's anything here, and if there's anything here, and if there's anything here, and if there's anything here, then obviously you ought to be like-minded having the same love.
And the four things to which he appeals are these. First of all, if there be any consolation in Christ, now that word consolation here, is actually the word exhortation. If there be any exhortation in Christ, the thought is, if looking at the life of Christ is a challenge to you and exhorts you to be like him, and indeed it does, if there's any exhortation in the life of Christ, if any comfort of love, the thought here is that if the life of Christ exhorts you, And if the love of Christ constrains you, then he goes on to say, if there's any fellowship of the Spirit, if you know indeed the company of the Spirit of God, and then finally, if you have any compassion at all, be like-minded, having the same love.
Don't let anything divide you the one from the other and make sure that you love each other. That's the challenge here at the beginning of chapter two. And again we have an evidence of the mind of Christ. It is spiritual affection. Then the verse goes on to say, being of one accord and of one mind. Now there's a verse which says that where the brethren do dwell together in unity, there the Lord commands the what? the blessing even life forevermore. Now here's the thought of spiritual fruit.
If we as believers are of one accord and of one mind, there can be no stopping our spiritual effectiveness. Even in spite of ourselves, we'll have to produce fruit if we have that oneness because the promise is where brethren dwell together in unity, there the Lord commands the blessing even life forevermore. And the secret of spiritual fruit in the Church of God is the oneness and single-mindedness and the one accord of believers. Spiritual fruit. And then we read, verse three, the plea continues, Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Now what do we have here? We have the fourth evidence here. That is spiritual discernment. Spiritual discernment in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. What is the opposite to lowliness of mind? I know you all know, but you're very shy. It's pride, of course. Now, Dr. Andrew Murray says of pride, it's the birth and the gate and the curse of hell. And I've reminded you before that there are lots of different kinds of pride.
There's pride of place. There's pride of race. There's pride of face. And there's pride of grace. You can be so humble as to be proud of your humility. Like that fellow you remember who wrote the book. The ten most humble men in the world and how I met the other nine. Lowliness of mind, that is not a common grace. And that is not a natural grace. It is something that positively calls for spiritual discernment. There are very few of us who are willing to go this far and esteem other better than ourselves.
We hear so much about our rights in these days. We hear people talking indignantly about what impinges on their rights. This is my right and that's my right. Believers cannot talk about their rights because basically we have none. The moment we accepted the Lord Jesus as Savior, we gave to him the right of way in our lives and since we have nothing apart from him, There's nothing that we can claim as our own. And if we're wise, we've faced up to that and abandoned everything we have and that we are to him.
When we get to that place, it's not quite so difficult to esteem other better than ourselves. Then it says, look, not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Now, there are a lot of people that look on other people's things. But when they look on them, you know how they feel about them. I don't know why he has that and I don't have it. I don't know why she is able to live that way and I can't live that way. And so what happens into our hearts, they're creeps and envying and they're coveting. That's not the way we have to look on the things of others. We have to look upon the things of others to see where we can help them, where we can be a benefit and a blessing to them.
The thought is our lives ought not to be lived selfishly. So we have, as we come through to this fourth verse, that first section following the introduction in which we have the evidences of the mind of Christ. They are for spiritual affection, spiritual discernment, spiritual reality, and spiritual fruit. They are requested in Paul's prayer, they are revealed in Paul's posture, and they are recommended in Paul's plea. And I think as we bring the meeting to a close, we ought to very earnestly, in the presence of God, ask ourselves to what extent these evidences of the mind of Christ are manifested in our own lives and our own experiences.
A person who has the mind of Christ will be loving, he will be discerning, He'll be real and he'll be productive. Do these four words describe us? Now the Apostle Paul is going to go on and say, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. And then in the rest of chapter two, he's going to bring before us four examples of the Christ mind. Four evidences in the first section. and for examples in the second section. If you'd like to read chapter two between now and tomorrow night, I think you may even find, without too much difficulty, those four examples.
Shall we bow in prayer? Our Heavenly Father, we realize that this last that we have been Reading about and speaking about is such an elusive thing. Lowliness of mind. Humility. We believe, O Lord, it is something that is absolutely unique to Christianity. It's only when a man is sold out to God that he can be truly lowly in his mind, that he can know the mind of Christ. Grant, O Lord, that we might be willing to allow the Spirit of God to work in our hearts, showing to us the things that are standing in the way of such loneliness, showing to us the path that we must tread in order that we might be able to esteem other better than ourselves, revealing to us the need around us and giving us compassion, that we might not look just upon our own things, but on the things of others.
and be just as willing to lay ourselves out for them as for the Master who brought us with his precious blood. We ask it in his name. Amen.