The Spiritual Mind

Introduction

I encourage you to open your Bibles to the book of Philippians and to the third chapter, Philippians chapter 3. The last few weeks, with the exception of last Sunday morning, we’ve been studying a series of lessons through the book of Philippians. And in fact, we call them a series of lessons on how to find or how to have the peace of God that surpasseth understanding. Spoken of in Philippians chapter 4 and in verse 7. And in fact, we’ve talked about, first in our first lesson and an over you, in an overview of it, how that there were thieves that rob us of this peace. That sometimes, because of the circumstances that we’re in, we don’t really like to be in the situation, maybe whatever it might be a health problem or a financial problem, or maybe they’re just situations that we really find discouraging and disappointing to us.

Sometimes it’s what people do and say. It’s how people treat us that make us unhappy and miserable. And then maybe just emphasis upon things. We don’t have the kind of things we want. We’re constantly griping and complaining and maybe being discouraged because we don’t have the themes that we wish for. Rather than being thankful for what we do have is what we don’t have that we’re complaining about. And then constantly, when all of these are added together, and even maybe other things, we find ourselves worrying. And they rob us. We are robbed of the kind of peace. And in fact, some wonder how is it to have a peace that the Bible speaks of? Emphasize in that first lesson how that the key word in the book of Philippians is the word joy.

Or rejoice. In these four short chapters, this attitude is emphasized over some twenty different times. In fact, in that same chapter four and in verse four, rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say rejoice. How’s that possible? Well, we’ve talked about at least the mind and the attitude that one has. And each of these four chapters, I think, easily separate into an outline that talks about the kind of attitude that indeed helped us to overcome whatever our circumstances might be. Chapter 1, in fact, the Apostle Paul spoke about how that he was imprisoned. Those were not desirable circumstances at all. And yet he could write how that he rejoiced. That Christ is preached. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain, he wrote.

That is to live for Christ. In fact, he said, even though there are some of his own brethren who would suppose to add affliction to his minds, yet he could still rejoice that they preach Christ. They may have the wrong attitude toward Paul. But the message they preached was the right message. And he rejoiced in that. From Philippians chapter 2, we talk about the submissive mind. Let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus. And what was that mind? It was the attitude that says, Thy will be done. Even though he had glory and power, he he thought it not a thing to be held on to or to be grasped, but he emptied himself, took upon him the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of man was obedient even unto death.

The death of the cross. Now that’s not an easy attitude to be submissive, first of all to God, but even submissive to one another. From Philippians chapter 2, he speaks about how that we ought to count one another better than self. Look not on your own things, but on the things of others. Why we are living in a society and an age in where there is so much emphasis upon self and selfishness, my rights and what I want, and no wonder it’s called the me generation. And yet the very attitude of a Christian, if he has the mind of Christ, he learns to be submissive, most of all to God, but in that submissive one to another. So long as we do not violate God’s will, and it’s important in a marriage.

It’s important in a congregation of the Lord’s people. It’s important in a nation, for that matter. That we think of others more than just self, and instead of having to have my rights and causing hatred and hurt and division, to be submissive mind. Very important and key attitude, if we’re to really understand the peace of God. How we deal with things in our own heart and attitude will determine whether we have the peace of God or not. No matter what others may do. Don’t blame others. Blame self if you lack this attitude or peace of God. Today I want us from chapter three, though, to look about the attitude that we may call the spiritual mind. And then, Lord willing, next Sunday morning, we’ll finish up with chapter four and talk about how we can keep from worrying.

1. Our Citizenship Is in Heaven

Verse 6 of chapter 4 says, Be not anxious, or don’t worry. That is the secure mind. In Philippians chapter 3, though, if you’ll be turning there, read with me. Let’s start with verses 17, and we’ll read through the end of that chapter, in which the apostle Paul talks about an attitude that is one that looks at earth from heaven’s viewpoint. Because our citizenship, one translation says, is in heaven. Philippians chapter 3, beginning in verse 17. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so, as ye have us for an example. 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, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame.

Who mind earthly things. For our conversation for citizenship, one translation says, is in heaven. From whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our reviled body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. I would say this is not an easy attitude develop. It comes through growth spiritually, maturing as one grows in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But it begins with the attitude that even that we were singing a moment ago Brother Duke led us in, I surrender all. And those are easy words to say but what do they really mean? Total consecration to the Lord that he is first in our life.

I surrender my will and my wants in fact I evaluate things differently when I become the servant of Jesus Christ. The word things is found eleven times in chapter three. And so I would say as the ability to have the attitude of the peace that surpasseth understanding, it has to do with the attitude toward things. Paul develops a spiritual mind, you may say, in this chapter. And it’s interesting that that at writing to the church at Philippi, he would say that our citizenship is in heaven. I say that because Philippi was known as a Roman colony. In other words, that made it a little Rome, away from Rome. Obviously, Rome, the city, was the capital of the world at that time, the world empire. But here was a colony that was like a little Rome.

2. Things Are Not Bad of Themselves

Philippi. And they understood that they they represented the authority of Rome, where trials would be held and so forth in that very place. We are as a Philippi in one sense. That we are God’s people while on earth. We’re the representatives of heaven, so to speak. We’re the people of the Lord. That means that we should look at earth from heaven’s point of view. Now, things are not bad of themselves. In fact, when you read the creation story in Genesis chapter 1 and verse 31, God saw that what he had made and it was good. He gave us the things of this world, the material things. He gave us things to sustain us in life itself. And he knows that we need things. Even in the Sermon on the Mount and Matthew chapter 6, Jesus speaks how that God provides the necessary things.

And he said, seek first the kingdom of heaven, and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. In other words, get you emphasis on the right place. It isn’t wrong to have things. In fact, again, in 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 17, he says, He has given us all things richly to enjoy. God wants us to enjoy even life here and now. And it isn’t that we go through life with a perverted point of view that we go with a long face toward anything that is material. That isn’t the attitude of the scriptures, but it is how do you approach and use them? What is your viewpoint about the things that are material in their nature? Do you really recognize, as the Lord said in Luke 12 and verse 15, that a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things that he possesses?

It isn’t how much you have in a material way that really makes you successful. You leave it all behind when you die. So man’s life consisted not in the abundance of the things. Quantity is no assurance of quality. There are many people who have the things money can buy that they have lost the things that money cannot buy. That’s why we need to stop and take a look at our lives. And ask what system do I use to value, evaluate my life. Socrates even has said to have written, the unexamined life is not worth living. Now we’re coming up, we’re approaching a new year. And I always say it’s a good time because we ought to take inventory of where we are. But I don’t think we ought to wait always until January 1 to make new resolutions.

They’re time to through our lives and through our year. You ought to stop and say, wait a minute. Where am I? How did I reach here? What are my goals? What are my aspirations? Indeed, we need to sit down and weigh carefully the values that control our decisions and the directions of our life. And instead of being a slave to things, and as a result, not experiencing the joy of a Christian. We need to take a look and say, wait a minute, am I going in the right direction? This chapter I want to analyze from three different points of view. Paul’s past, Paul’s present, and Paul’s future. And the first eleven verses we can say, look at Paul’s past. And as the accountant, Paul’s present, as the athlete, and Paul’s future, as the alien.

3. Paul’s Past, As the Accountant

Maybe you can see as we develop the lessons. First of all, let’s read the first eleven verses together. When he says, Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. Beware of dogs. Beware of evil workers. Beware of the concision. For we are those circumcision, which worship God in the Spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh, if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more. Circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin and Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law, a Pharisee, concerning zeal persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

But what things were gained in me? Those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. You notice he says, I account all things but loss from the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

As the accountant, what things were gained, he said, are now as lost. Now he starts in this chapter. First of all, by using the warning, beware, obviously, to warn them that there are things that are wrong and false. There are some false teachers. In any given situation where they’re Christians, you can recognize that the devil’s going to do his work if he can. And he’ll come even among a church if he can, and upset it from within, if he fails too from without. And so it is even in the early church of the first century. There were those who among them would teach some false doctrines. There are several different statements throughout the New Testament. To beware of false teachers. Now, one of the flow of doctrine that was going at this point in time, mainly seemingly, was against Gentiles being accepted in the faith.

There were what we may call Judaizing teachers who were saying, look, if you really want to be God’s family, you need to first of all become like a proselyte. You need to become like a Jew. You need to be circumcised after the manner of the law of Moses. In fact, the book of Galatians deals with that very doctrine at some length. And talks about them as having perverted the gospel of Christ. Because though while the law of Moses was given by God, it was not still binding. It was nailed to the cross. So when you see the language here, he says, beware of dogs. That’s pretty strong language, then. I mean, he’s not talking about the kind of pets you may have in your home. But he was talking there, and in that terminology, in that time, it was like the strong term of the wild, unclean animal.

Well, these who are false teachers are dangerous. Beware of them. Evil workers, he calls them. This doctrine of Judaizing teachers was damnable. It was a perversion of the gospel of Christ, Galatians 1, verse 8 would say. But notice even he uses the term beware of the concision. Literally, that’s a that’s a shortening of the word circumcision. Beware of those who teach circumcision. It’s a mutilation what they’re doing. What they’re doing is a cutting off, but it isn’t the kind of teaching that is from God about true circumcision. In fact, he goes on to say, we are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus. In a sense, all who are Christians today are the Israel of God. That’s the terminology used in Galatians 6 and verse 16.

4. How Do You Measure Success?

Are you a Jew? Well, not physically, but spiritually, the Bible would say you are. That we are the Israel of God, and that is in the sense that we become God’s people when we obey Jesus Christ, become Christian. So he says, you want to know who the real circumcision, who they really are. Colossians 2 in verses 11 and 12 speaks about how we put off the body of the sins of the flesh when we’re baptized. So that’s the kind of spiritual circumcision that those who are in Christ have. Those are the true ones. But then he proceeds in this same context, and he really says, Now, look, how do you measure success? It’s not measured by the material, temporal things. Well, that’s a lesson that’s hard maybe today to get across.

Our time in which we live, it’s a great time materially. Though there’s still poverty among our nation, yet really basically we are a rich, rich people. If you don’t believe it, you can go to nearly any place overseas, any other country. And our poor people, in most instances, would be rich there. We are a blessed people. But with our blessings, it is so hard for us to think in terms. That says, wait a minute, these aren’t the measurement of success. What do we do? We send our children to school. Teach them how to make money and be successful. Now they don’t read the Bible there. That’s outlawed, of course, in most uh, at least public schools. We send them on to university, and if we’re not careful, even those who are Christians who know what are the right values, before we know it, we’re emphasizing.

Now get you a good degree, learn a good feel so you can make a lot of money. You want to be a successful person. Well, let’s see. Now, how do we measure success in those terms? We’re talking some way about the material things, the physical things. As I’ve already said, that isn’t a sin unless we get it out of balance. Unless we get it turned around as to what is the most important in life. Things in which we have confidence. If you’re taking confidence, and let’s just say the tangible things. Maybe so you’ve become a millionaire. Boy, isn’t Bill Gates successful. Maybe, maybe not. I’m not sure about his spiritual well-being, are you? But I know he’s a rich man money-wise. But I’ll tell you it’ll mean nothing come death time.

And though he’s still young, he has no guarantee even to live to be old man. None of us do. What’s success? How do you measure it in money? Maybe it’s not money. Maybe for you it’s something else. Maybe it’s how strong you are, your physical looks. Michael Jordan, isn’t he successful? What a great. And I’ll tell you, a lot of our young people think, boy, if I could just be a successful athlete, man, a Michael Jordan, wouldn’t I be great? Well, again, he’s going to grow old, his body’s already gotten where he can’t play basketball like he once did. And it’s going to get worse for him, won’t it, older people?

See, your young people don’t know what the rest of us do. But the fact is, what’s success? Well, yes, he was successful as an athlete. And there’s success in money, but are these the real measurement for success that’s eternal? Indeed, we need to take a look at those things that really count in life. He is no fool to give what he cannot keep in order to gain what is eternal. When Paul takes a look at this as the accountant, he talked about those things that had been things of which he could boast. He said, Well, if anybody born and boasts in the flesh, I am more. Now put it in the context of the generation in which Paul’s living. And at that time, what he was as a Jew, boy, I mean, you talk about keeping the law.

He was circumcised the eighth day, strict compliance with the law. He was of the stock of Israel. He wasn’t a proselyte. He came from the right heritage. He was of the tribe of Benjamin. Now you remember back when the children of Israel had a divided kingdom, and there was a southern kingdom, Judah and the small tribe of Benjamin, where there are only two that remained faithful. He was from that faithful tribe of Benjamin. In fact, he said, I was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. That’s as though to say, boy, I had all the advantages of a Jew. That’s a superlative. The Hebrew of the Hebrews. In fact, I was a Pharisee. I know sometimes today people talk about a Pharisee as the hypocrite, but in that time, and Paul would say it as he did in Acts 26 and verse 5, I was of the straightest sect.

I was the one who was the most conservative, who kept the law correctly. I was a Pharisee. In fact, zealous. You want to know of someone who really was zealed for God, he said in Galatians 1 14, above many mine own age. Zealous for God. In fact, he used the term blameless. You talk about the righteousness of the law, he neglected no duty. In fact, you remember no doubt how he would say, I’ve lived in all good conscience before God to this day. Even before the governor, he would say, I’m void of offense toward God. I’ve done what I understood God to say that I ought to do. Lameness. And yet, as if anybody can brag or take confidence in the flesh, I could more than they.

For the righteousness which is in Christ Jesus, verse nine. For the resurrection, the share, in fact, and the hope of eternal life. These things of men don’t count. I hear sometimes even people come to the knowledge of the truth and say, Yes, I understand that’s what the gospel says, but uh, you know, if I obeyed that, my parents we start talking about things of the flesh. Yes, we may honor and love our parents, but they’re not more important than serving the Lord. Or we may think in terms, and in fact, uh, I’ve had people say, you know, I know what the Lord wants me to do, but if I did that, I’d have to give up so much. My friends, maybe even the kind of job I’m in.

I’d have to give up. Well, we were just singing, I surrender all. Did we mean it or not?