The Mind of Christ, Part Six
Confessing Jesus Is Lord
Philippians 2:1-8

February 18, 2007
by C.W. Powell

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.” (Php 2:8-16 AV)

There are a great many things in the text before us, that I have touched on before in the last weeks that we have been considering this passage, but they need to be emphasized and we need to think with great clarity about them. This passage is nothing else than a declaration of the very essence of Christianity, both as to its doctrinal foundation, and to the way we are to think and to live as Christians.

He speaks of the things that ARE: the things that God has provided for us: “any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

He speaks of the things that God has begun in them: , being likeminded; having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. There is only one kind of Christianity, and this is it: one love, one accord, one mind.

He commands them in Christ: --fulfill my joy; be like minded; --have the mind of Christ and commends the qualities that distinguish the mind of Christ from the flesh: doing nothing be done through strife or vainglory [electioneering for office]; 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 I would speak of the foundation and ground of this command of the apostle, and why it is achievable. There are three things in this passage that I would unpack for you.

I. Because of the Work of God the Father: “God has highly exalted Him.” This was always the plan of God, as we read in Hebrews 10: that He came to do the will of God, was incarnate in the flesh for this purpose that He might in His humanity do what could not be done by the blood of bulls and goats, take away sins.

A. God intended the salvation of His people from before the world was. I Peter: “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” (1Pe 1:1-9 AV)

B. The work of the Spirit [sanctification] is by the election of God according to His forethought—not simply his knowledge as though He can know what He does not will, nor will what He cannot perform.

C. Our salvation begins in heaven and ends in heaven: the inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, reserved in heaven.

II. Because of the Work of God the Son: He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death.

A. Jesus did not earn something for Himself by His death on the cross; He did not earn anything He did not already have.

1. That He is God is indicated by the words, ‘every tongue shall confess…” which is a quotation from “I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.” (Isa 45:23 AV) Paul applied these words that can only be said of God, to Jesus Christ.

2. He was affirmed, or declared to be the Son of God, by the resurrection from the dead: Romans 1.

3. He was always the Son of God, but His resurrection affirmed His glory and indicated that His death was not for His own things, but to purchase all things for us. He did not die so that He could be King—He was already King over all things; but to satisfy the justice of God on behalf of His people, to save us from eternal punishment and death and hell.

4. Nothing that Jesus did on this earth earned him anything at all; for He is the eternal Son of God and everything was already under His control and authority, but what He did on the cross was to enrich His people: “though He was rich, yet he became poor, that we, by his poverty might be rich.” He suffered, the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God. He was wounded for our transgressions; and by His stripes we are healed.

B. He was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven, so that we might understand the true nature of His kingdom: it is not of the world, and does not come by carnal things, but by the power of God.

III. Because of the Work of God the Spirit.

A. This is the way to the mind of Christ: It is God who works in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Do not seek your own things, but seek the mind of Christ.

1. Confess the Lord Jesus: Bow the neck; bend the knee; give to him true worship. Acknowledgement of His power and authority. “You are not your own"

2. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:” (1Pe 1:18-22 AV)

B. Because you belong to Christ, the Holy Spirit has begun to work in you:

1. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Php 1:6 AV)

2. “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;” (Col 1:9-11 AV)

3. “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.” (2Co 9:6-9 AV)

4. “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” (2Ti 2:19-26 AV)

5. “Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Heb 13:21 AV)

6. “Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2Th 1:11-12 AV)

7. “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” (Col 1:9-14 AV)

8. “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Eph 3:14-21 AV)

9. “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” (Eph 3:20 AV)

10. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” (Eph 6:10 AV)

You CAN do what God has called you to do. Sin shall not have dominion over you. You do not have to wallow is discouragement, bitterness, or disillusionment. The power and wisdom of the Triune God is yours in Jesus Christ to fulfill the purpose for your existence and your salvation in Christ.

But this comes to you and me only by faith, for these things cannot be seen by the powers of the flesh. This means that you must seek the Lord Jesus in Heaven, not on the earth: That is, it must be real, and not just pretended and the prayers and the desire for God must arise from the Spirit of God within us, and not from the lusts and desires of the flesh.

To put it another way, we must seek the Lord Jesus in Heaven, and not on the earth:as Paul said,

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." May God bless you indeed. May God bless you.

Amen and Amen.