Let This Mind Be in You

In one paragraph

This message came from Philippians 2:1-11 as part of an ongoing study, and Pastor Ray used it to address one of the most practical questions in church life: how Christians actually get along with one another. He traced the pattern of Jesus's humility from eternity past down to the cross, then back up to the Father's right hand, and held that pattern up as the only real template for how believers...

Read together

1. Hebrews 11:1 cited to show that faith is the substance of hope or expectation
2. Romans 15:13 identified the God of hope as the Lord Jesus Christ; quoted in the Advent candle liturgy as 'may the God of absolute certainty fill you with all joy and peace'
3. Philippians 1:27 reviewed as last week's main thrust: stand fast in one spirit, striving together for the faith of the gospel
4. Philippians 1:29 it has been granted to you not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for his sake
5. Philippians 2:1-11 the main passage for the sermon, on the mind of Christ and getting along with one another
6. Isaiah 14 Lucifer's five 'I will' statements contrasted with Christ's humility
7. Isaiah 45:23 every knee shall bow and every tongue shall take an oath, quoted as the source Paul draws on in Romans
8. Isaiah 45:18-25 read at length: God as creator, exclusivity of salvation, every knee shall bow
9. James 5:5-6 referenced as the source for 'God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble'
10. 1 Peter 5:5-7 be clothed with humility; humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you; casting all your cares upon him

Talk about it

1. Bob and Judy described biblical hope not as a wish but as 'absolute certainty' grounded in the perfect truthfulness of Jesus Christ. How does that definition change the way you think about what it means to hope in God?
2. Pastor Ray shared that this passage in Philippians 2 was the one that finally made Christianity make sense to him when he was around 18 or 19 years old. Was there a passage or moment like that for you, and what did it open up?
3. The sermon described two wrong responses in the airport story: aggressive and passive aggressive. When you face someone who treats you badly, which of those two tends to be your instinct, and what does it cost you or the other person?
4. Pastor Ray said we would rather be right than be righteous, and that rightness vaunts itself while righteousness humbles itself. Where in your own relationships have you seen that pull toward being right get in the way of actually living righteously?
5. The sermon traced Jesus from the glories of heaven all the way down to death on a cross, and then back up, and called it 'the great parabola.' Peter's words were quoted: humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time. What would it look like practically this week to let God do the exalting instead of doing it yourself?