Obedient Unto Death: Christ and Ours
The Mind of Christ, Part Five
Philippians 2:5-16

February 11, 2007
by C.W. Powell

Philippians 2:5-16 The Mind of Christ V: Working Out Salvation 7/13/97 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 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 laboured in vain.” (Php 2:5-16 AV)

I. Christ's Suffering and Exaltation. Christ had humbled himself to be obedient unto death;

A. Scripture that speaks of this anticipation of the rewards of Christ's obedience.

1. Heb. 12:2; “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb 12:2 AV)Who for the joy that was set before him. His joy must wait until He had passed through the sufferings of his humiliation: conception, birth, life, toil, death, grave.

2. “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” (Isa 53:10 AV)"He shall see His seed"

3. “My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.” (Ps 22:25-27 AV)

4. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (Joh 3:17 AV)John 3:14-17:

B. Implications:

1. Providence has changed its focus since the coming of Christ: from preparing for His coming, to building and perfecting the church, as we read in Eph. 1
2. The will of Jesus Christ IS being done right at this moment in heaven and in earth.
3. Eternal life is being given to all who call upon him.
4. The tares are endured by Christ until his secret spiritual purposes are fulfilled
5. Christ, not Satan, is to be exalted.
6. Everything is to be put under Christ:

a. Legally: He is enthroned in Heaven: all other authority is usurped.
b. Confessionally: Confess that Jesus is Lord.
c. Morally: in the life of the Christian: everything is to be done with respect to His glory.
d. Historically: at His return. "Where are those who said I should not rule...."

7. Christians are citizens of two worlds (render to Caesar; to God.)

a. A temporary, sin-filled one--short span. Still under Christ; To be filled with faith. Our message: Satan's kingdom is over, finished. Only those who submit to Christ have sins forgiven, and meaning and blessing. We are preparing for the next world; this world is not our home. At the present time Christ is enduring with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath; and showing His mercy to all who call upon Him. The wheat and the tares grow up together.
b. A permanent-enduring one: eternal in the heavens: A city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. We are citizens there now, and our conversation is in heaven.

II. Working out your salvation

A. Your "own" salvation. Salvation is personal. The church is made up of living stones. They live in faith and in Christ: taste and see; hear and your soul shall live; Feel; No one can do this for you. Rest and peace are personal; No one can go to heaven for you: your must stand before God yourself. It is a pilgrimage you are on: You are walking the path yourself.

B. Work out: not for. It has been worked in. Will and To Do are both internal and external.

1. Internally Activity: God is arranging the furniture of your mind: The mind of Christ.

a. Subject the mind: Is. 55: "Let the wicked forsake his way..."
b. Order the emotions: "Gird up the loins of your mind..." Regulate the inner man.
c. Subject the will: "Not my will, but thine be done.

2. Externally: and to do.

C. WORK. In your calling. Everyone has been called to work. There are to be no drones in the kingdom of heaven.

1. Do the best you can do. There is never enough money; there are never enough workers; Do not allow anything to get in the way of your work. Don’t meddle in others’ work, and don’t allow them to discourage you in work that God gives you. Whatsoever your hand finds to, do it with your might, the wise man said. Do not work with limp hands.

a. As mothers; Fulfill your motherhood
b. As fathers; Fulfill your fatherhood
c. As Christians: bring glory to God.

2. What am I supposed to do? I don’t know what you are supposed to do: I do not have the wisdom and insight. God is your master and he directs your way. It is not the churches job to arrange everyone’s life. You are to find your own work in the Kingdom of heaven. But here are some general principles: There is no end of work to do in the kingdom of God.

a. To shine as lights. How do you let your light shine? By regulating the inner life and allowing the fruit of the Spirit to be seen in our lives.
b. Doing your own work without griping and complaining: what a refreshing change! How angry everyone is in the world!! Have you noticed that lately. What a wonderful witness a bright and sunny disposition is—rejoicing in the Lord and thankful for all things.
c. Blameless: God's grace: forgiven all your sins; life and character of the church. You take your responsibilities seriously and seek to fulfill all of them—in weakness and sometimes failing; but always laboring and abounding in the work of Christ.
d. What is the measure of success? How do we measure what our success is?
e. Harmless: not to hurt anyone. Not mixed with hypocrisy is the meaning of the word. It is not enough to appear to do good; we must really do good. "simple concerning evil." Unmixed, pure. Public behavior above criticism.

(1). There must have been such at Philippi: who did harm in the name of good: who separated between friends; destroyed reputations; engaged in quarrels and disputations; defaming and slandering It is one thing to appear to do good; it is quite another to really do it. The first is usually rather noisy; the latter is usually a quiet leaven whose works are not flaunted before others. Jesus made himself of no reputation; but brought immense good to the world. The first is good a public relations, the second gets the job done.

(2). 1:27: “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;” (Php 1:27 AV)

(3). How different was Israel: “They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.” (De 32:5 AV).

f. Without rebuke: “blameless” in verse 15 means in the eyes of others and has the idea of a good reputation; this word “rebuke” means that there isn’t anything to blame one for. The first is with respect to others; this is in terms of reality.

g. Light: Holding forth the word of life. The light is the life. The life is the light: In him was life, and the life was the light of men. We are children of the light; not of the darkness.

III. What good is a life if it is good for nothing. How productive and useful was the life of Christ!!!

A. James is very clear: the contrary is the seeking of our own desires: we do not esteem others better than ourselves, nor do we seek the things of others rather than our own things, as Paul put it in this chapter. But the biblical principle is very clear: we do not get what we want by seeking what we want; we get what we want by seeking what other people want.

B. A useful and productive life is possible for all of us, and this is the way we are to go. Every child of God can and must seek to have this mind, for you have been predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ, to be like Him and to serve the people of God as He did.

C. If Christ laid down his life for us, then we are to lay down our lives for our brethren.

For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” (1Jo 3:11-18 AV)

May God bless you.

Amen and Amen.