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“The
Same Mind”
a sermon by
Thomas L. Jenkins
Text: Philippians 2: 1 – 13
“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,”
Dear Sisters and Brothers, one of the most personal, self confronting
and challenging aspects of the Scripture we just read, to me, many
times, have been the words near the end where Paul writes about us
working out our salvation with
fear and trembling. What I
have come to believe is that we are not being told that we have to earn
our salvation, because if we do not earn it, then God will send us to
hell. In other words, we
are not being told that the fear of God sending us to hell should
motivate us to accomplish our own salvation.
We are being shown that our salvation is already located in Jesus
Christ. And as I quoted
Calvin Thielman last week,” Life is not a Chrystal Cathedral.”
Life in this world has sufferings, pains, fears, and trembling.
The Apostle Paul is being very wise in teaching us that what we
believe and how we live are not to be manipulated and controlled by the
fear of going to hell when we die because we did not earn our salvation.
What we may believe, and therefore, why we may workout our
salvation [that already exists] in the midst of worldly fears and
trembling, is based on our real truth that who we will be, for all
eternity, in the love of God, has been accomplished for us in Jesus
Christ. For us to workout
our salvations, means that we are growing in believing that our
salvation is in our souls, so even during suffering times, we may join
with Jesus in loving others. Working
out our salvations is to live our true lives from the inside out.
You might remember that Solomon was a King of Israel. He was a son of King David.
And one of the greatest prayers of Solomon was asking God for
wisdom. He may very well
have written this verse from Proverbs:
“The teaching of the wise
is a fountain of life, so that one may avoid the fears of death.”
[Prov. 13:14]
The most positive guidance in Paul’s teaching here is that we may have
the same understanding of why and how to share God’s love with other
people, as it is in the very mind of Jesus Christ.
If we are not afraid of who and where we will be when we die,
then in our days here and now, we will be open to the giving of
ourselves in helping others to recognize their adoption into the love of
God the Father, Son, and Spirit.
In verses 5 through 11, which are printed in the form of a poem, many
scholars believe this is one of the first hymns in the Christian Church.
It is definitely about the mind of Christ Jesus:
“Have
the same mind be in you that was*
in Christ Jesus,
6who,
though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
7but
emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
8 he
humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
9Therefore
God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
10so
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and
every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.”
Okay,
this will certainly seem to be a silly little story. Even so, let us really try to imagine it, and think about it.
It
starts with you, and either your mother or your father.
Picture yourself being with the parent whom you feel personally
closest to. Then you and your parent, and one other family member, are
the only human beings on the earth.
Why?
You are godly. You created
the earth, every thing on the earth, and every creature on the earth.
Now your parent is coming to remind you why you created the
Gorillas.
You
created the earth and every part of it, so that it would be a place
where the Gorillas could live. And
the very reason why you, your parent, and your other family member did
all this was because you all loved your love so much that you created a
way to share it, make it a gift, and simply expand your own greatest
blessings. That is who you
are.
Your
plan from the very beginning of all this was that after you created the
Gorillas, you were going to turn yourself into one of them so that you
could be the very way to bring them into your family love. Also, before you made all this, you, your family member, and
your parent were so smart that you already knew how you were going to
accomplish your plan in any situation.
Now,
your parent is coming to remind you of the most horrible situation you
have mentally been prepared for. It has happened.
The
Gorillas have become so selfish, that even though they don’t know it,
they are making decisions, and doing things as if every thing is about
them; even if they hurt others. You
are still going to become one of them.
In order to free them from the force that is actually turning
them away from receiving our gift of love, let them kill you, so that
when we raise you back to our love, as one of them, we will have
accomplished our original plan of bringing them into our love.
You were reminded of all this, and you did it.
Maybe
that does seem to be a silly story.
For us to have the mind of Christ, certainly does not mean that
we have to be ready to do what we did in that story.
However, for us to have the same mind as Christ means for us to
be a Gorilla who has seen what has been given to us, and wants to find
ways to help other Gorillas see it also.
Let us pray … Amen.
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