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Philippians 2:5 The Mind of Christ - Rom. 12:2; 1 Cor. 2:12-16

*It is God's desire for every believer to think His way, and subdue their minds to do His will. It should be the goal of every believer to reach such mature thinking that our minds are in harmony with the mind of Christ. As the Apostle Paul taught, We must bring every thought into captivity. 2 Cor. 10:4-5

When we came to the Lord we embarked upon the journey of faith, grace and power. "I can do all things through Christ" is not just some trite spiritual expression. It should be the watchword of our lives. We are in constant warfare over the control of our minds.

Living the Christian life is not hard. Living the Christian life is IMPOSSIBLE. You and I will never teach “the flesh” to be “like Jesus.” Attempting to teach our natural man creates a “roller coaster” experience of ups and downs in our lives. If we are going to live a Christian life, we must live that life from the life of Christ already IN US.

Actually, we have “spiritual software” already installed at our new birth. The program of our life is now ready to run properly. The only way the spiritual software is hindered from functioning properly is when the “virus” of wrong thinking is introduced without detection. We need to “run” our virus protection (the Word of God) regularly to cleanse every thing that would disrupt the mind of Christ at work in our lives. dem

Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you”

Romans 12:2 “renewing of the mind”

I Corinthians 2:12-16 “But we have the mind of Christ”

THREE COMPELLING STATEMENTS

*Phil. 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus - VOLUNTARY SUBMISSION to the attitude and character of Christ (Mind, not opinion). Godly thinking should be the norm! Rom. 8:6, For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

The mind of Christ is revealed in His life, His verbal responses to those that He met, His actions toward the situations of life, and the cross. The mind of Christ is revealed in the Cross of Calvary.

In the mind of Christ we see the beauty of His holiness. Christ revealed the holiness of the Father, Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? (John 14:9).

The cross reveals the purity of Christ: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor. 5:21)

The mind of Christ reveals an attitude of humility so profound that it mystifies the human mind. 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. Phil. 2:7-8)

We experience the mind of Christ when we see the Father in all of His holiness and beauty; we experience the mind of Christ when we see sin as it really is; we experience the mind of Christ when we feel the passion of His soul in submission to the will of God; we experience the mind of Christ when we desire to walk in His perfect will.

*I Cor. 2:16 But we have the mind of Christ - PERMANENT HABITATION I "Mind" is the seat of consciousness, faculties of perception, understanding, or judging.

Rom. 14:5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

*Romans 12:2 renewing of the mind - anakainwse - VOLUNTARY RENOVATION - new in character and quality. "Mind" refers to the adjustment of our moral and spiritual thinking to harmonize with the very mind of Christ.

Eph. 4:22-23 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

What is the mind of Christ? *The permanent habitation of the character of Christ, by the gift of God, through the work of the Holy Spirit, at the time of salvation, to be lived out in the life of the believer. dem

Therefore we are to voluntarily submit ourselves before God to be conformed to the mind and character of Christ!

THREE CRITICAL CHOICES

*To realize that the Word of God is the "mind of Christ - it is the revelation of the mind of God to the mind of men, To let this mind (Scripture) be in you is not just to verbalize some belief or body of truth, but to live out that body of truth or belief by conformity to Christ's character.

Col. 1:9-11 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;

*To place our thinking under the microscope of God's Word for detailed examination, immediate change, and complete conformity to all areas of living.

Psalm 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

Psalm 119:112 I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end.

*To pray for the grace and power needed to submit to the renewing of our minds by the Holy Spirit.

Eph. 5:17-18 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;