Philippians 2:3-8

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 servant, 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.

 

Last Saturday while reading an article on the death of Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon back on July 20, 1969, I came across part of President Nixon’s speech at the time of the moon landing. He said that the greatest moment in human history was when man walked on the moon. I believe it was Billy Graham who latter corrected him and said, “No, the greatest moment in history was not when man walked on the moon but when God walked on the earth.”

As much as we marvel at that first step by man onto the moon, those famous words “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” and everything it took to make the moon landing happen, it all falls short of the step that God took toward us. Jesus’ footprints through the dust of this earth are what make the giant leap for mankind possible, a leap across the abyss of hell and into the waiting arms of the Father. Jesus stepped from Heaven to earth to serve us and we are called to have that same mindset, the mind of a servant. What we do in this life all starts with our thinking, with what goes on in our minds, and to understand the mind of a servant we have to study the mind of Christ.

THE MIND OF CHRIST WAS UNSELFISH Verse 6

“who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God”

The things that He possessed in heaven were not something that He had to hold on to. Heaven did not keep him from coming to save us, He was willing to let go so we could hold onto. So many times we hold onto things selfishly, unwilling to let go, operating from selfish ambition, unwilling to put our personal agendas aside for the call of Christ.

THE MIND OF CHRIST WAS WILLING TO SACRIFICE Verse 7.

Have you ever considered what life was like for Jesus before He came to earth, what He gave up?

•             Intimate relationship with the Father and Holy Spirit.

•             A Perfect sinless place,

•             All the glory and privilege at His disposal He emptied Himself

•             Power and position

Have you ever considered what he took on?

•             The very nature of a servant, becoming nothing.

•             Flesh with all its limitations

•             The Cross with all its suffering

•             The sin of the world and its agony

He left the comforts and glories of heaven to become our servant, He was looking out for our interests. If we are going to look out for the interest of others we are going to have to sacrifice and make room in our lives for the needs of others.

THE MIND OF CHRIST WAS HUMBLE. Verse 8.

Humility takes an interest in what is going on outside of itself, the opposite of humility is pride. How many times does pride get in the way of doing something for another person, especially when we think it is a task that is below us? Humility looks up not down on, it builds up instead of tearing down. Jesus humbled Himself to a position so lowly that He enslaved Himself to my sin, dying my death. What He did for me is beyond my ability to comprehend, yet if He did that to serve me, then why should it seem such a great thing for me to serve others?

When Jesus stepped into our world it was both extraordinary and yet so ordinary,

Do you believe that God can use you and me, the ordinary, to do the extraordinary? He can when we serve.