Message: The Person of Jesus – The Mind of Christ 2
Ministering: Pastor Dr. Raf Otono
Date: 14th May 2023
Text: Matthew 16:13-16, Phil 2:5
Two weeks ago, we started a series titled the PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST!
And last week looked at the mind of Christ and we established that, to Have the mind of Christ is to think and act exactly like Him!
We proceeded further last week and saw that – The mind is the intellect and consciousness of a man and if you can know the mind of any man you can be like him
We also saw the 3 parts of the human mind.
- The conscious
- The Subconscious mind
- The unconscious mind
The Conscious mind – this is our active thinking mind; it has no memory and can only hold a thought per time.
- It identifies the incoming information it receives from the six senses:
- It Compares
- It Analyzes
- It Makes Decisions
The Subconscious mind – this is our store house and mental waiting room where memories, thoughts and feelings remain until something triggers it and they move into conscious awareness or our conscious mind.
The Unconscious mind – This is where most early sad events and traumatic memories are hidden that are too frightening to acknowledge. But the sad thing is even though they are hidden they can still impact our lives or behavior because these events weren’t erased but suppressed.
Even though the event was suppressed or repressed by the victim, the symptoms he/she is experiencing now as an adult is the expression of what is in the unconscious mind.
This is the reason why therapist always want to dig into your childhood memories and experiences to track where the problem is coming from. In doing so, they trigger the unconscious mind to actively feed these hidden events or trauma to the conscious mind BUT there is no real solution there because the mind is still not RENEWED!
The mind of Christ is the only sure solution, that is why the bible in 2 Cor 5:17 – If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold all things are become new! Including THE MIND! That means the old mind is dead!
When we have the mind of Christ, we begin to think like Him, talk like Him and act like Him. IT IS A MINDSET!
Today, our objective is to see the products or fruits of this mindset – because our character is a product of our mindset and it is our character that defines us as true followers of Christ. That is why when Jesus wanted to warn us about false prophets, He said watch out for their fruits. – Matt 7:15-23
So, what are the characteristics or fruits of the mind of Christ? – Phil 2:5-8
- He made Himself of no reputation – Even though He was God, creator of all things – the bible said he made Himself of no reputation. This wasn’t something that happened to Him, He made it so!
Reputation is about being highly esteemed and held in high regard. – Jesus stripped Himself of that on earth, He emptied Himself (In theology it is called the Kenosis of Christ) – This was derived from the Greek word Kenoo – which literally means to empty out or drain
Jesus did not esteem Himself even though He was God rather He made Himself of no reputation – If we truly have the mind of Christ the first thing, we must do is not to esteem ourselves. That means it cannot be about our reputation, our vanity, or our fame & glory. That is not what we go after. We are not supposed to be seeking for fame like celebrities and making a name for ourselves; it must be all about Him and Him alone.
Write this: In our Christian walk, integrity is better than reputation in the eyes of God.
A man conscious of his reputation with men can do anything to protect or defend it even it means killing his fellow man while a man of integrity with God will only do what pleases God. Reputation strives to please men while integrity strives to please God.
HOW DID JESUS MAKE HIMSELF OF NO REPUTATION?
- He took upon Him the form of a servant – Phil 2:7
He took upon Him the form of a servant, that means He took it by Himself, nobody forced Him to ie He had a mindset of service! He came to serve humanity and to Him that is the true definition of greatness unlike the believe of the world system that to be great is to be served. – Matt 20:25-28
Write this: Greatness in the kingdom is determined by your service. To have the mind of Christ is to serve God and mankind like He did.
- He humbled Himself – Phil 2:8
Humility is a sign that you have the mind of Christ. You cannot have the mind of Christ and be proud or puffed up no matter the level of elevation or blessings you receive rather it humbles you more. You know why? The higher you go the more you feel undeserving of it knowing this is not by your efforts but by His grace so it humbles you.
He humbled Himself – the means we have to deliberately and consciously humble ourselves because it is in man’s nature to be proud because we man fell; he took the nature of satan. But when we became born again, we took the mind of Christ so humility must be seen in us! God demands it and men expects to see it in us.
Write this: Humility is the trigger that provokes God’s exaltation for humanity – Matt 23:12, James 4:10, 2 Chron 7:14
Humility exalts a man – Phil 2:8-11
To have the mind of Christ is to be humble – TELL YOUR NEIGHBOR HUMBLE YOURSELF!
- The 2 characteristics or fruit of the mind of Chris is LOVE: – Matt 22:36-40
When you have the mind of Christ, you will love God and His people (souls) – This love is categorized into two.
- Love for God and His kingdom – John 14:31 – When we have the mind of Christ, we think and act like Him and do all the Father commands us to do. It is our way of expressing our love for Him.
- Love for His people – If we truly have the mind of Christ, we must love one another just like He did and commanded us to, Christ so loved us that He gave His life for us – John 15:12-13, Eph 5:1-2
Can we normalize loving people? Especially as brothers and sisters in Christ, can we let love lead in the church? Some of us right now are not in talking terms and we claim to be Christians. Fire brand and tongue talking Christians yet no love – that is not Christ-like! – 1 Cor 13:1-13 NKJV
Write this: Love is the greatest character expressed by a Christian because God is love.
- Forgiveness – One of the last things Jesus asked the Father for on the cross was forgiveness! Not for Himself but for those that wanted Him dead. His enemies as you would call it. – Luke 23:34
Even while bleeding and experiencing pain, Jesus had His heart set on forgiveness—even forgiving those who put Him there in the first place! Can you forgive those that have wronged you today? We are talking about the mind of Christ, right?
Someone is saying but Pastor that was Jesus, He came to die so in other words they were helping Him to fulfill His destiny so it was easy for Him to forgive. That is not for me – See Col 3:12-15 NKJV
Write this: Unforgiveness is like sentencing yourself to the prison of your past, anger, pain, lack of peace and bitterness without knowing.
Unforgiveness is choosing to be confined in the jail of resentment, serving time for another person’s crime.
Unforgiveness keeps your pain alive and never let your past wound heal. It transfers yesterday’s pain to your today and tomorrow. Ultimately it makes you live a very angry and resentful life and make it difficult to trust and relate with people.
(SHARE YOUR STORY ABOUT YOUR PAIN/UNFORGIVENESS AND HOW YOU DEALT WITH IT RECENTLY)
Listen: When you forgive easily it is a sign that you now have the mind and character of Christ…. A Christian does not carry and keep things in their heart. It is an unwanted weight you don’t need to carry!
When Jesus was asked how many times should we forgive see what He said – Matt 18:21-22 (490 x or indefinitely)
Listen: Unforgiveness is the reason why a lot of prayers are not being answered in the body of Christ – Mark 11: 25-26
It is my prayer today as you receive and renew the mind of Christ – May you make yourself of no reputation
May you serve God and mankind
May you receive the spirit of humility
May you love God and His people
May you receive the spirit of forgiveness and forgive those that have hurt you in Jesus name. Amen
RISE ON YOUR FEET AND SHOUT I HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST JESUS!
Prayer:
Father, renew my mind and give me the mind of Christ in the name of Jesus
Anyone battling with the spirit of unforgiveness, come to the altar and cast your cares on Him –1 Pet 5:7
- ALTAR CALL!!
- ANNIVERSARY ANNOUNCEMENT (Both Church & Marriage)
- New Comers Acknowledgment
- VGC Light declaration
- Grace
- VGC Slogan
