1. Christ as an example of a submissive mind (1-11) The God-Son v.5-6, The God-Servant v.7 The God-Man v.8 The God-King v.9-11. The Cross v.8 The Crown v.9-10 The Christian v.11 The Plea to have the submissive mind. v. 1-4 The Pattern of the submissive mind. v. 5-11 Paul now expresses 4 ways to fulfil the purpose of God for them. 1. Maintain love. v.1 2. Maintain unity. v.2 3. Maintain lowliness. v.3 4. Maintain interest. v.4 V.1 a) Love - That causes Encouragement. I. The 4 “ If” are all expressions of love: 1. Consolation (exhortation) in Christ - Teachings, life and sacrifice. 2. Comfort of love - God was trying to give them comfort through Jesus, Paul and the comforter Himself. John 14:16; 2.Cor.1:3; 1.Cor.13:4-8 3. Fellowship of the Spirit - Nothing can pacify the heart as the sweet voice of the Spirit and awareness of His presence. 2.Cor.13:14 4. Affection and mercy - Because of God’ s affection He shows us mercy. (Not getting what we do deserve) Psalms 5:7; 103:8, 11-12, 17; Ch.136 - Affection is the opposite of indifference. II. If the Philippians had experienced this and it mattered for them then they should practice the humility of mind, works of love and sincerity of heart of Ch.2. III. Love begins when someone else's needs are more important than my own. V.2 b) Like-minded - That causes Excellency. I. Be united and fulfil my joy. II. The mind: One mind 2:2; like-minded 2:2 Christ mind 2:5; mature mind 3:15; same mind 3:16; 4:2; guard mind 4:7 III. It all begins in the mind, like a new life is conceived in the womb, so are all words, behaviour and actions conceived in the mind. V.3 c) Low-minded - That causes Esteem. I. True greatness is servanthood. Mark 10:35-45 Joy comes through serving others. It is not about What I can build up but Who I can build up. II. The first chapter is about Jesus and this chapter is about Jesus and others. Rom.12:10 III. Esteem (Gr. huperecho) means superior, its not to see others better than ourselves but higher than ourselves. V.4 d) Looking - That causes Engagement. I. Vainglory is the disease and strife is the symptom. 1. Vainglory is the inward Attitude. 2. Strife is the outward Action. II. Look (Gr. skopeo) means to aim (like a sniper). III. If we have the inward Mindset, we can have the outward Marking. IV. The difference between a helper and a servant. 1. A Helper helps others when it is convenient. A servant serves others even when it is inconvenient. 2. A helper helps people that he or she likes. A servant serves even people that he or she dislikes. 3. A helper helps when he or she enjoys the work. A servant serves even when he or she dislikes the work. 4. A helper helps with a view to obtaining personal satisfaction. A servant serves even when he or she receives no personal satisfaction. 5. A helper helps with an attitude of assisting another. A servant serves with an attitude of enabling another. Now Paul begins calling forth living examples of the inward mindset and the outward action. What the Son did for us. v.5-8 What the Father did for His Son. v. 9-11 V.5 a) The form of His mind - I. This mindset is already ours in Christ. 1.Cor.2:16 Paul also calls it the mind of the spirit. Rom.8:5-6 II. The secret of Christian joy is found in the way we think. V.5-11 is the great kenosis passage. (from the Gr. ekenosen, "he emptied," v.7) V.6 b) The form of His Godhead - He was true God. I. Form (Gr. morphe) means shape, the Greek word is used in Mark 16:12 II. Christ was existing as God, being not less but equal God. John 1:1; 5:17-18; 10:28-39; 18:3-6; 20:28; Heb.1:3-9; Col.2:9; 1.John 5:20; Rom.9:5; Is.9:6 Is.44:6; 48:12-17 = Rev.1:8, 11, 17; 2:8; 22:12-16 Aleph and taw (The first and last letter of the Hebrew alphabet) - Gen.1:1; Zech.12:10 III. Robbery - The Son of God did not hold on to His equality with God, but limited willingly Himself and became a man. 1. Like a little child when someone try to take something temporarily from them, behaves like its being stolen from them, the Son of God did not consider the equality with God something to be lost when he was made of no reputation. 2. His nature is characterized not by selfish grabbing, but by open-handed giving V.7 c) The form of His servanthood - He was true Servant. I. He never stopped to be God but the manner in which He existed as God changed when He became a man, the God-man. II. Neither the Father nor the Spirit did make Him of no reputation but the Son did it willingly. III. No reputation (Gr. kenosis) means to empty. He left His glory in heaven, that glory man cannot see and still live, the glory that shines brighter than the sun, the glory that causes man to glorify God. John 17:4-5 IV. The Son of God was glorified again with that glory in heaven. Rev.1:9-18; 5:12-14 V. Jesus Christ was in the form of God and in the form of man on earth. He was served by His creation but now He became the servant. VI. Let us have this mind and attitude, lets not seek to be served but always serve, the minister stops being a servant of God when he desires to be served. V.8 d) The form of His manhood - He was a true Man. I. Christ was a true man: 1. He felt hunger and thirst. Mat.4:1-2 2. He felt pain and suffered. 1.Peter 4:1 3. He learned obedience as a man. Heb.5:8 4. He was tempted. Mat.4:1-11; Heb.4:15 5. He was humiliated. Mat.26:67; 27:27-44 6. He died as a man. Mat.27:50 II. The true God and the true man could only reconcile. 1. God forced man out of Eden Gen.3:24 (He closed the door) therefore only God could open it again, the only way to open the door to heaven was to become the Door, that door was the God-man. John 10:9 2. Only God could reconcile man to God and only an original sinless man could reconcile man to God. 3. Jesus was the Son of God and the Son of Man. Is.9:6; John 5:25, 27 V.9 a) The frame of His Majesty - The height I. Because Christ went to such depth - His incarnation, suffering & death, has God brought Him to such height of Majesty. Eph.1:20-22: Col.1:15-18 II. The way up is first down. 1.Peter 5:6 V.10 b) The frame of His Kingship - The width and length I. The phrase is from Is.45:20-23 II. The width and length of His Kingship, all will bow to Him. V.11 c) The frame of His Lordship - The depth The depth of His Lordship will cause all hearts to declare with their tongues His Lordship. Rom.4:11 The 7 marks of the mind of Christ: 1. Lowliness. v.3 2. Esteem others. v.3 3. Others interest. v.4 4. Willing to loose. v.6-7 5. Obedience. v.8 6. Sacrifice. v.8 7. Readiness to be put to shame. v.8