Ever since I can remember people have been telling me I can be whatever I want to be. In school it was all about building a future, setting goals and having high ambitions. To become all that you can become. Everybody constructing their lives based on their long term dreams, chasing it down with much vigor. Even to the point of it ruling their lives and totally dominating our way of thinking and doing things. All fare and well, but there’s a problem. You see it is all based on the here and now. This existence in the body of flesh or at least the few decades we have in this vessel. It turns out what we thought to be our long-term goals are not that at all! That which we strive for here in the flesh is but a vapor and is fading rapidly.
1 Pet 1:24,25
“All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the LORD endures forever.”
Psalm 103
15 As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more.
Isaiah 40
6 …All flesh is grass, And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades, Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”
Having a mindset of life in this flesh is futile. More than that, it is absolutely short-sighted. You see we have an enemy, and this enemy is the king of flesh and he rules all things flesh. He wants us to believe that this life in the flesh is the life. But it is not! This life or body is a mere tent and we are just passing through. There are many things to be said about that and many passages in scripture that explain this. But for today I would like to point out scripture that is less obvious and often overlooked for reasons unknown. In addressing this passage I believe we will also as a by-product correct a misunderstanding about the importance of doctrine. Before we look at the scripture I want us to remember that the bible was not written in chapters and verses. That only came later and if not concentrated on can cause some problems in the understanding or the context of a certain passage of scripture. So for this part of the new testament I am going to ask you to ignore the verses and chapters and read it as a whole the way Paul intended. I believe it will shed some light on a widely misunderstood letter from Paul. The letter to the Philippians.
Philippians 1
19 For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.
21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell.
23 For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.
24 Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.
25 And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith,
26 that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again.
27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.
29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
30 having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.
So to understand what Paul is saying we have to know what his circumstances were. At the time Paul was writing the letter to the Philippians he was a prisoner of Rome. Fortunately he was not in a dungeon as he was before but rather under house arrest. He was living in a house that he rented for himself but was under guard. Thus far Paul did not have it easy at all. He was whipped often and beaten. He was stoned and left for dead and faced many dangers and perils for the sake of the gospel. To put it mildly he did not have a good life. He was hungry and cold often and elsewhere he said that he even despaired of life. What Paul was saying in this passage is that he didn’t particularly like his life because of all the trouble and persecution. He says the following and then explains his mind-set. He says that for him to live is Christ and to die is gain. He explains that within him there is a struggle or conflict. He would much rather die and go be with the Lord. Because that would be far better. But he also knows that if he should stay here in the flesh he would be able to help others and teach them the truth. He realizes that there are two states. One where he is with the Lord, in joy and happiness. The other here in the flesh, in misery but doing the will of the Lord in servitude, and in a sense of brotherly love.
He is willing to endure this wretched life in the flesh if his fellow believers would gain from it. That is his mindset and also his conflict. He longs to be with the Lord but his love for his brother compels him to stay. What Paul is saying here is that the motive or reason for living here in the flesh is one thing and one thing only. That is to live for others. We are not to live for ourselves and our ambitions but for the love of others by the will of the Lord. He says in verses 29 and 30 that it was granted us not only to believe but to suffer as well for Christ. And he says that this suffering is the very same conflict that is in him. That wanting to die to be with Christ but willing rather to endure this wretched life in the flesh. That conflict is the very mindset or conflict that we hear Paul says is in him and apparently, those who knew Paul saw it in him. Paul makes it very clear that we must have the same conflict in us.
So now Paul has set up the context of the letter. That is this conflict or mind-set that is in him and must be in us. The mind-set of being here in the flesh only for others and not self. Now we can move on.
Phil 2
1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Now we come to the part that is so widely misunderstood. As soon as people read the part where Paul says “being like-minded, same love, one accord and one mind” they say something like this.
“See, doctrine does not matter as long as we work together” or “we should accommodate each other”. In fact what they mean is “let’s forget about doctrine and compromise”. But this is not what Paul is saying here. Remember Paul said just a few verses back that we ought to have the same conflict as him and the same mindset. What Paul is saying is that we should be like-minded with him. Having the same love as him and that is the one accord. Having the same mind-set as him is how we are of one mind. We are to do nothing selfish or for ourselves but for others. That means no ambition and 5 step goal to become rich or famous. That means not building your own kingdom or church empire. We are to esteem ourselves as low and others high, looking out for their interest and NOT our own. In verse 2 where it says like-minded in the Greek (Phroneo autos) actually means the following: “To exercise your mind or have a sentiment or opinion the same as mine..” It does not mean the same as each other!
Phil 2
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This is the most amazing part of the whole thing. Paul says this mind-set of being a humble servant, that we are to have, was also the mindset of Jesus! Jesus being equal with God , because of love, became as nothing and a servant while here in the world as flesh! We also learn something else. That is that God rewards according to the degree of lowliness and humbleness. Oh dear friend our lives are not our own, we have been bought at a great price. We are slaves to Christ and we are to live for others completely. Not ourselves. We have been lied to. This life is not the life. The life is yet to come. And if we want life with great reward we better lay down this life in the flesh.
1 Cor 6
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Cor 7
22 For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave.
23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.
Let’s continue with the letter to the Philippians
Phil 2
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
We are not allowed to grumble and complain and dispute as slaves of Christ. Remember we are not even here for ourselves, how then can we complain. If we hold fast to this we will shine a light and be blameless and will rejoice when the Lord returns.
Phil 2
19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state.
20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state.
21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.
Paul is worried about their state. Are they living for themselves or for others through love in obedience to God? He says he has no one like-minded(accept for Timothy) for all seek to live only for themselves and not the will of the Lord. How sad that the same rings true today. You will remember at the beginning of my letter we talked about ambition and goals and being the best you can be. In fact churches teach those things, those doctrines of demons. There are thousands if not millions of books teaching the exact opposite of the mindset we are supposed to have. The godly mindset of Jesus and Paul and other saints of old. The very nature of God.
Phil 3
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ
Here Paul confirms it again. He lost everything and became as nothing to gain Christ. And more than that he considered everything else concerning himself waste. He lived an absolutely lowly life. If you ever imagined a grand saint Paul in the flesh you were wrong. He had physical deformities because of all the beatings and stonings. In fact Paul said the life of a Christian is to be pitied above all! We are not to live in fancy houses and drive fancy cars and have glory while we are here in the flesh
1 Cor 15
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
One of the sayings of Christ that often sounded off and maybe even out of place in modern doctrine is Luke 14:26,27. And many a professor and preacher have tried to put their own spin on it. Saying that even though it sounds like Jesus said something He actually meant something else.
26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
No dear friend He meant every word of it. We as Christians today miss the mark by very far. Our lives today are 100 percent for ourselves and no one else. The idea of living for others is so foreign to us and we cannot even fathom it. Yet Paul and our Lord make it very clear.
Phil 3
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
Paul says that those that are mature should walk like he does and our Lord did. We should copy him and have his mind and the mind of our Lord. But not all will walk like Paul. Some will walk after the flesh and they will perish. They make their flesh an idol and their stomachs are their motivation. They have an earthly mindset and will not receive citizenship in the heavens.
Phil 3
18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame — who set their mind on earthly things.
20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Phil 4
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things.
9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
You see friend when we live not for ourselves, but for others in obedience to God and His will we have no cares. We have peace and whatever we pray for is in His will and He will provide because we ask according to His will and purpose. Perhaps now James makes more sense:
James 4
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
In conclusion, who do you live for? Do you believe that this is your life and you should get what you can out of it? Dear friend let me recap for you this mindset we are to have according to the Lord Jesus and Paul His apostle. To live is Christ, and to die is gain. To live is Christ in us leading us to be lowly and humble and a slave, looking out for everybody else and not self. To live is hard and we will suffer persecutions. Every time someone does anything to or against you we are to take it for Christ’s sake and for the sake of love. To die is to get reward and rule and reign with the Lord forevermore!
Who do you live for?
Till next time
God bless
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