The Mind of a Disciple

Introduction

As we often do, we’re going to start with a quiz this morning. How many of you, how many of us are old enough to remember when we were smarter than our phones?

You remember when you were kind of just thrown out into the wilderness and left to your own resources. Especially when it comes to travel.

When if you were going to go somewhere or come back from anywhere, you were dependent upon either a map, a paper folded out map, your own memory, or the kindness and the knowledge of the lady working behind the counter at some random 7-Eleven. One thing those old ways taught us was how to be a good follower. Because many times you would go somewhere and you’d have to follow somebody.

And really myself were a little nervous about getting home because it was going to be dark at home. We might not remember the turns that we made to get there. And I can remember as we were leaving the crowded parking lot of this football game after it was over, all the cars were funneling and taking turns, getting in and out and exiting this parking lot and heading home. And I remember my dad lighting up when he recognized the car in front of us. He said, That’s, he called his name, one of our neighbors. Dad says, he knows this town. We’ll just follow him. We had struck it rich. We didn’t have to worry about how to get home. That guy knew how to get home. All we had to do was follow him.

And so that’s what we did. We stayed close to his bumper for almost an hour. When he changed lanes on the highway, we changed lanes with him. When he turned his blinker on and turned right or left, our blinker went on, and we went right and left, right with him. The best job of following you ever saw.

We followed perfectly.

We just followed the wrong guy at the wrong time. Following’s a skill, isn’t it? And it’s a skill that’s frankly lost on some of us. Some of us aren’t the best followers. We’re not the best at following instructions and directions. We’re not the best at following people. And if we’re honest, completely honest with ourselves, sometimes we’re not the best followers of our Lord. This morning I want to talk to you about being a disciple. And that’s what a disciple is a follower. It’s someone who learns from, but more importantly, or at least equally important as learning from that one is that a disciple follows that one. If you’re here this morning, I’m going to assume that you’re either a disciple of Jesus Christ, or you’re interested in being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

And so it’s important to this audience that we talk about what that really means. What does it mean to be a disciple? A follower of Jesus. Someone might raise their hand if this was a Bible class and say, being a follower of Jesus Christ is doing what he says and not doing what he says not to do. To which we would hardly say amen. Someone else might raise their hand and say, being a follower of Jesus means we’re following Jesus, that we do what he did. We think like he thought and we speak like he spoke. And again, we would say amen. To be a disciple of Jesus means that we listen and we obey. But it also means that we watch and we imitate our Lord.

Our text this morning, a portion of which Matt read for us in our Bible reading, is in Philippians chapter 2. And so I want to encourage you to get your Bibles and go to Philippians chapter 2, because we’re going to camp out in this text.

Because we’re going to talk about being a disciple and what is the mind of a disciple. In our text, at least three times, the inspired writer in a text talking about following Jesus. Three times he’s going to use the word mind. The mind of a disciple is so important.

1. Like Minded, of One Mind

And what is that mind? I believe our text is going to tell us at least three things about the mind of Jesus that must be my mind, if I’m truly going to be his disciple, his follower. The first thing he’s going to tell us is that if we’re a disciple of Christ, if we have the mind of Christ, the mind of a disciple, that we’re going to be like minded. Read with me again a portion of this text, Philippians chapter 2. Let’s just start off reading the first two verses. Therefore, if there’s any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection or mercy, fulfill my joy by being like minded, having the same love. Being of one accord, of one mind.

What does it mean to be like minded in this text? What does it mean to be of one mind? Well, if we weren’t paying attention closely to this text, we might say that we’re to be united in what we believe, in doctrinal things, that we have to have a uniformity of thought. And there is truth to that. And the Bible speaks of that, but that’s not really what Paul has in mind in this context when he says, be like minded are of one mind. He, at least here, is not talking about agreeing on a certain set of facts. And again, that’s important. But that’s not really what’s under consideration here. He’s not talking about complete conformity of thought. He’s not talking about being carbon copies of each other.

When he says here that we are to be of one mind and like minded, he is saying that we, in regard to our love, our affection, our care, our concern, and our sympathy for one another, that we are to be the same. We are one.

He says, if there is, now let’s pause there, if, we understand is a word of condition. And it can really be used in two different senses. It can be used in truly a probative sense, asking the question, if, if this exists, if that happens, if we have enough money in our account, we’ll go on vacation this year. That’s a true condition. And if that doesn’t, first one part doesn’t happen, then the second part won’t happen. But that word can also be used not in a true condition sense, but in assuming that condition is going to get in trouble, you’ll clean your room. That’s not really an option, is it? It’s saying, I’m assuming you don’t want to get in trouble, therefore you will do what I’m telling you to do.

That’s the way Paul is meaning it here. Paul is not considering and wondering and saying, in some church somewhere, these conditions might not exist. Paul is assuming that they do, or at least they absolutely should exist. If there’s any consolation in Christ, your translation may say encouragement. If there’s to be any encouragement, if there is encouragement in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship in the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, if those conditions are what we want to exist among us, then he says we will be like-minded. When he says later in verse 2, my translation in the New King James says toward the end of verse 2, being of one accord. Literally that means joined in the soul.

And if they do exist, they exist because we are joined together. We’re of one mind. Again, that doesn’t mean we’re going to see things always the same way and always agree, but it means that we, when it comes to love and affection and encouragement and comfort, we’re, to borrow a modern day expression, we’re on the same page. That we all have the same goal. Group goal and goal as mutual individuals in this thing that we call Christianity. That we’re going to recognize that we’re on the same team. And since we’re on the same team, we have to be pulling in the same direction. That no one here is working against us and pulling in the other direction. That we’re on the same team, we’re pulling in the same direction, and that when one of us falls, someone’s going to be there to pull us up and to help us get back up on our feet and help dust us off and join in the ranks again.

And it means that we will make it our absolute goal to not only help others when they fall and to be pulling in the same direction, but to make it our absolute goal that we will never ever be the cause for someone to fall. Hold your finger here and go with us to the text in Matthew chapter 18. Where Jesus talks about being like-minded. In Matthew chapter 18, he says, beginning in verse 2, we remember this account, don’t we? Matthew 18, verse 2, Jesus called a little child to him and set him in the midst of them. I’m going to pause there, and I want you to picture that scene. That here is Jesus with a crowd of his disciples and some of his followers and maybe just some curious onlookers.

And Jesus calls this little child and sets that child in the middle. I can kind of picture the nervousness of that child as he’s sitting there, looking around at all of these intimidating adults. And there’s that little child sitting in the midst. And Jesus addressing that child says in verse 3, Assuredly I say to you, unless you’re converted and become as little children, you’ll by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. I want us to notice in verse 3 that Jesus’ intent has shifted.

And he says that we are to become like this child. And so from this point on, he’s not talking about the illustration, the little child. He’s talking about his followers who are to be as little children. Therefore, verse 4 whoever humbles himself as this little child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one little child like this in my name receives me. But whoever causes one of these little ones, and again, he’s not talking about the child. He’s talking about those of his followers who are to be like children. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Woe to the world because of offenses, for offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes. To be like-minded means that we’re going to have so much care for one another that we’re going to go out of our way to make sure that we’re not that offense. We’re not that cause of stumbling. One cynic among us has observed of Christians of the church. That the Bible many times uses the imagery that we’re in an army. We’re fighting for the cause of God. And one cynic among us has observed that we’re the only army who shoots its own.

2. Lowliness of Mind

But Jesus says, Woe to you, if you cause one of these who believe in me to stumble and to sin. And Paul says, stating it positively, if there’s to be some encouragement, if there’s to be some comfort and affection and love, be one. Be like minded. Go back to our text in Philippians chapter 2. What else does Paul say about the mind of a disciple, which was the mind of Christ? Look up verses 3 and 4 now. Philippians 2, verses 3 and 4 says, Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself. Let each one of you look out not only for his own interest, but also the interest of others. Paul says that the mind of a disciple is a mind that’s going to be lowly in mind.

That we don’t think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but that we esteem others.

Like something like that is said in the New Testament about practicing Christians. Of how many times the inspired writer says, put others first. Don’t be thinking selfishly about yourself and what you want and what you think and what you need. Set that aside. And think about somebody else. And put somebody else first.

Is being humble. Someone has said about humility, that humility is not thinking less of self. And sometimes what we think humility is. Oh, well, I’m no good. I’m worthless. I’m not as good as that other guy. But he said, humility is not thinking less of self, but thinking of self less.

Of turning off what the world and Satan would have us to put as our God, that being self, and turning our attention outward. What do they need? What can I do to serve rather than to be served? There’s so many applications to that. We can think about our worship service, of how we have almost trained ourselves to be spectators here, of people who have purchased a pricely ticket to sit in the audience and watch a performance. And that has earned us the degree of being a critic. Rather than seeing worship as being a participatory event. And where I come here to gather together, not to be served, but to serve. Obviously to serve our living God, but also to serve and encourage one another. Because I’m going to tell you when you come to worship, not to be served, not to be entertained, but when you come here to honor God and to encourage your brethren, then you will be served.

You will be uplifted and encouraged. But we can apply it to every aspect of our Christian lives, to be able to put first others rather than self. And I’m going to tell you that everything this world is throwing at you, that every way Satan is working on you is in the opposite direction of that. But having the mind of a disciple of Christ means that we seek the interest of others first. What can I do this week to serve you? What can I do to put you first? Let’s make this real. Let’s make this very practical.

And let’s be honest, not a lot of trouble, but we’ve gone to the trouble of collecting your addresses and phone numbers and email addresses, and we’ve taken your picture. We’ve assembled that all together to have a church directory. Let’s think about the purpose of a church directory. It’s not to assist God on the day of judgment, it’s for our purposes. The way I think of it, the church directory serves two practical purposes. Number one is it releases the preacher from his job of being directory assistants. Don’t call me and say, what’s so-and-so’s number. We’ve got a directory for that. But it serves a better and a nobler purpose than that. Is there’s a way that we can remember one another? I offer two suggestions to you about that directory.

Have the directory next to you when you pray. And I’ve read the scriptures, it’s all right to have at least one eye open when you pray. And with that one eye, flip through the directory. And oh, I remember. So and so was going through something. And I wanted to pray for them. But also have that directory handy to just go through it and say, how can I be a disciple of Christ in regard to that brother or that sister? What does it mean to esteem them more highly? Look at that page, that picture, and say, how can I esteem them more highly than myself? How can I look out for their interest and not my interest this week? Because that’s what it means. Not just words on a page.

3. A Submissive Mind

How can I serve that person? How can I encourage and uplift and put their interest higher than mine? And now Paul says, beginning in verse 5, let this mind, this like-minded attitude, this lowliness of mind attitude, let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus.

Of Jesus who did not view the blessings of heaven and deity, something to be selfishly clung on to. But the text says he emptied himself and took the form of a servant and died. A humiliating, painful death, because he submitted to the will of God. And so the mind of a disciple is going to be a submissive mind. And that’s really wrapped up in the idea of being like-minded, of being one with one another and putting others first, is this whole idea of submission, of submitting ourselves. Christ submitted himself under the mighty hand of God. And look at our text. Follow with me in verses 5-11 as we look at the characteristics now of a submissive mind. A submissive mind, as we’ve already talked, is going to be one who thinks of others, not himself.

Look at verses 5 and 6. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. If Jesus was thinking of himself, he never would have left the side of his father.

Look at verse 7, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant and coming in likeness of men. A submissive mind serves someone else. If you cannot be a servant, you cannot be a disciple of Christ. If you cannot get on your knees and wash the feet of his disciples, you cannot be his disciple because a submissive mind serves. A submissive mind sacrifices. Look at verse 8. And being found an appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. A submissive mind is going to sacrifice, is going to, and really the whole idea of lowliness of mind, of putting others higher than self is all wrapped up into the principle of sacrifice, isn’t it?

That I’m willing to give and to sacrifice.

If I have not sacrificed for my God, and if I have not truly sacrificed for others, what have I given up to be like Christ? And lastly, a submissive mind is a mind that will glorify God. In verse 9, he says, Therefore, God has also highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, that the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those in heaven and those on the earth and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father. Why did Jesus do what he did? He ended up being glorified by his Father. Is that why he did it? To receive that glory? If we in any way in our minds can say that’s why Jesus sacrificed and gave and left heaven and did what he did is so that he could receive the glory, we would need to recognize that really what that was doing, as he points out at the end of verse 11, was to the glory of God the Father.

That in being, even being glorified after sacrificing and serving, he was giving glory to the Father. And that’s what a submissive mind does. That when we do serve, when we do sacrifice, we don’t, as Jesus warned, blow the trumpet and stand around and wait to be noticed, that we deflect any praise and any glory to our Father. Let them see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Conclusion

You truly a disciple.

So much so that we empty ourselves of self and look out for the interest of others, and that we submit to the will of God and we submit to one another. That’s what it means to be a disciple. And if you’re not doing that, you’re not a disciple of Christ. Because that’s who Christ was and that’s what he did. Would you be his disciple this morning, his follower this morning? Would you enroll in the ranks of that army of that family? You could do so this morning by responding to your faith, confessing that faith before men, not just here, but in every day of your life, proclaiming and confessing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Would you repent of your old selfish, self-centered ways and seek to be his disciple?

And would you submit? Why? Because God said to.