So it blows my mind. 380 volunteers, over a hundred friends, plus their families. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say, I don't know, that we can have it on our campus next year because it's that big, you know, because if you think about, like, why are people coming? If you're in this room and you're coming to volunteer Friday night, you've got a reason. You know, Maybe you say, like, well, because I love working with special needs friends.

Okay, that's a reason. That's a good reason. Or I love loving on families. That's a good reason. Some people just like to dance.

You will not see me doing that.

But you know, what we want is for all of us to be of one mind wrapped, one. One ideal, one mindset and one thought. Last week, as we began to dig into chapter two of Philippians chap. Philippians Chapter two, we heard Paul appeal. Make my joint complete by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in one mind, in one accord.

But what's the standard for that? What thoughts should be going through our mind to be of one mind and one accord. It's to have the mind of Jesus. You see, there's lots of organizations and lots of movements in America that are of the same mind. And they're unified, but it's why they are unified.

You see, church, we can't lead the broken to hope in Christ is if our hearts are not broken for the broken. And then we have to ask ourselves the question, why would our hearts be broken for the broken, if for no other reason? Because they are lost and separated from Jesus Christ and he wants them.

Many of us have played sports and you know, I don't know if you know this, but Justin Fields is in the news again. He's vying. It sounds like the Steelers are trying to figure out who their quarterback's going to be for next year. And this is not Justin Fields first rodeo with that right. If you go back to 2019, he was the second string quarterback for UGA and he decided to transfer to Ohio State.

No boos in the room, please. And ended up leading them to be the runner up in the national championship in 2021. But as a coach, if you're a coach in this room, there's nothing harder than to walk out on a field during tryouts. And you've got this group of kids trying out for quarterback or maybe for pitcher or for lead striker on a soccer team, and they're competing with each other, sometimes fiercely competing with each Other. But then after the tryouts, you got to put these guys together to be able to play on a team.

Or if you're in a production or a drama and you're trying out for some lead dance role or the lead role in the play, and then you don't get it, and you get ensemble, you're supposed to show up with smile on your face and go, I'm here to sing. Or maybe you're in a business and you want that promotion, and the person sitting in the cubicle that you've been going to lunch with for 10 years wants that same position, and you're both trying out for it, and they get the position. And now the boss is trying to get you guys on the same page, or the director is trying to get you on the same page, or the coach is trying to get you on the same page. Folks, a lot of us in this room are on the same page. But do we have the same mindset as the ultimate coach has the Lord Jesus Christ?

Years ago, when Laura lost her mom, she was an avid quilter, and she quilted a quilt for every child in my family and my nephew. But when she died, there was one quilt, my son's quilt, that she never got to finish. And at her funeral, we laid that quilt across her casket. As I began to talk about if you're a quilter in the room, please correct me if I use wrong terms, because I am not a quilter. I can barely sew a button on my shirt when it pops off.

But there's a term called the common thread. I didn't get any amens. So I either got it right or you're just afraid to call me out. But after everything is done, the patchwork is done, the batting is done, the edges are sewn together, the last stitch is that artistic flow called the common thread that unites that entire tapestry into one. And, ladies and gentlemen, for us in the Christian realm and those who have given our lives to Jesus Christ, Jesus, mind must be our common thread.

That, at the end of the day, he is our coach, he is our director, he is our boss, and he is the thing that will take our minds and bring us together under one common purpose. Like, you may love relationships, and we love talking about relationships. You may love going to groups and learning, and that's great. You may love coming in and singing a song. You may love the aspect of going on a mission trip.

But. But at the end of the day, what is it that's making you draw side by side with somebody else, linking arms, picking up the shovels and doing the work of the Gospel. It must be having the same mindset as Jesus Christ had. So we're going to pick up today right where we left off last week. In verse number five of Philippians chapter two.

Last week, Paul commended them. Make my joy complete by being of the same mind. I told you that we would hit some Bible study methods here. But one of the things you need to take notice of when you're reading Scripture, if there's a word that keeps getting repeated in verse two, last week he said to be of the same mind. At the end of verse two, he said, intent on one purpose, which is the same word, think the same, feel the same, have the same deep affection.

Well, guess what? At the beginning of verse five, he says it again. And if an author in five verses repeats the same word three times, we need to pay attention, right? And listen to what he says. If you'd stand with me as we read verses 5 through 11.

A beautiful, beautiful passage. Most theologians call this a hymn. They believe this was a hymn that the early Church sung and that Paul integrated into this letter. Some theologians even argue you need to interpret the letter and not even consider the book. But I don't believe that.

I think there's something beautiful about the context that we're about to read. Listen to what the Word says. Have this attitude in yourself, in you individually and among you, as the church, which was also in Christ Jesus. Wait a minute. What?

Everything he just said. Jesus not only is going to be exalted as the one who is the utmost example of doing the things in one through four, he is the utmost example. But now he's going to tell you. Tell us. This is what it should look like.

Who, although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God, something to be grasped, but he emptied himself, taking on the form of a bondservant and being made in the likeness, in the image of man, being found in that appearance, he humbled himself by being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Aren't you glad he didn't stay in a grave? Aren't you glad there really is no period to that sentence. Because he said, for this reason also God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that the name of Jesus every knee would bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. To the glory, God the Father.

Let's pray, Father, as We dig into this for the next few moments, would you just give us a joy and excitement that we haven't experienced in a long time? Lord, some of us have over the years. Bitterness and anger and jealousy and envy has maybe made our hearts hard. But, Lord, today I pray that you crack through that heart and soften it up so that when we hear the name of Jesus, it's not just like any other word in my vocabulary, but it is the word and would be the praise on our lips in Jesus name. Amen.

All right, buckle your seatbelt. Here we go. Y'all ready? Verse number five is an exhortation of Christ. In other words, he's telling them this is a command.

I need you to have this attitude. Well, what? Well, what he's about to describe. In six through eight, we see this great example of Christ, this exhibit of Christ. Now, we have to understand, in this room, no one ever will be Jesus Christ.

Even though the Bible teaches us that we're being conformed into the image of the Son, we're being conformed into the image of Christ. That's his goal for you and me. Well, guess what. I can't be conformed into his image until I begin to want to think like Him. My mind has to be conformed to his mind so that everything else in my life trickles down from that.

So there's an example. But then 9 through 11 is this great exaltation of Jesus that because of what Jesus did, because of what Jesus experienced, because of what Jesus sacrificed for how Jesus submitted, He exalted him above everything in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, all of creation, under this sovereign, majestic, and awesome man God named Jesus. William, or excuse me, George Guthrie writes this. He says this passage provides the foundation for a vision of transformation as believers following Jesus, and that this transformation ultimately culminates in their resurrection from the dead. That as Jesus was highly exalted, you and I will also be glorified with him someday in our resurrection or our transformation.

Have I told you lately Jesus is coming? Have I told you lately that no one in this room knows exactly when Jesus is coming back? And so that should produce joy in our life that we know he's coming for us. He's coming. He's going to end sorrow.

He. He's going to end sickness, he's going to renew all things that should make us excited, but at the same time, it brings us deep sadness because what we know and we're comfortable with would come to an end. But it brings us great grief knowing that there's some on that day when he comes that won't be ready. And that should cause us to grieve, but grieve because it makes him grieve. If I share the mind of Christ, I be thinking like Christ and I want the same things that Christ wants.

And so in this passage he's going to exemplify what that looks like. So I'm gonna put an image up on the screen here for a moment and I want you just to kind of look at it. I don't know, I don't know why this is just where I am. And if you're in the back and you're like, I couldn't read that if I had bifocals on. So you know, if you want one, I'll give you one.

I'm not copyright this stuff, but I did this because I wanted you to see the flow. This passage. If you notice in the bottom left corner I have the command, have this attitude. And your brain, your brain is the focus of this command that you take on the same mindset, the same thought, the same affection that Jesus had. Well, what did that look like?

We'll go to the top left. He did not regard equality with God. Something to be grasped. What did he mean by that? Well, here's the truth in pre existence, Jesus was the Son of God before he took on human flesh.

Jesus Christ was neither created nor born. At conception, the Son of God, of eternity came down and put on human flesh and forever changed his identity. That in eons to come, in millennia to come, as we're standing around the throne, we will still see Jesus Christ with nail prints in his feet and his hands because of his sacrifice forever. As John writes in Revelation, when he sees the scroll and the seals and. And they began to discuss that there was no one in heaven found that could break open the seal.

And so John begins to weep. He begins to weep. Have you ever wept? When's the last time you wept? Just had a good old fashioned cry.

Us men in the room go like, I don't cry. John did. And he's weeping, but the angel comforts him and says, hold on, stop for a moment, I want you to look at something. And he turns around and. And he sees a lamb as if slain from the foundation of the world who was worthy to come and take the scroll, break open the seal, that one from eternity.

And so he left glory. But then he became a man. He emptied himself. That word kenosis. There's theologians have debated, discussed, processed.

How much of deity did Jesus give up I would say none of it. He just put it on a coat hanger. Jesus came into this world and he experienced what it was like to have his diaper changed and be burped. He experienced what it was like to toddle and walk around Joseph's workshop and bump his head on a hammer or a table. He experienced what it was like to be roughhousing in the streets and skin his knee.

He experienced all these things we know as early as 12 years old that he knew who he was and he knew who his father was. And he knew the mission that he was brought to this earth to accomplish, that he did not come to be served, but to ransom himself to give himself. And so it culminated on the cross. If you notice, I didn't write the word. He humbled himself.

I wrote the word. He humiliated himself. That he was bruised, he was beaten, he was torn, he was taunted, he was put down, he was abused and he was elevated and he was shamed. He wasn't just humbled, he was humiliated. But.

Don't you love the but in a story? But in that grave he laid there for three days and like he promised, he was raised from the dead, proving that he had beaten death, meaning he had beaten sin, meaning he had beaten hell. He had beaten all of these things. And that Jesus was exalted, highly exalted. Look, he went back where he came from.

He just took a detour. But aren't you glad he took that detour for you and for me? And he didn't have to. Just like the readers of this letter didn't have to think of others more important than themselves. They didn't have to look to the interests of others.

They didn't have to humble themselves before other people. But here's the thing. Listen to me. If that is our attitude, if that is our attitude, when we reflect about the gloriousness of what Jesus Christ did, there's only two things. There's only two things in this text that I could do.

One of them is drop to my knees in absolute worship and adoration for my King. If my King walked to that door, I wouldn't be sitting here going, well, that ain't singing the song I want to sing. I would fall on my face before the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the one who has the name of above every name that at the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus, the name of Jesus. Can we just sit here and say his name over and over and over and over again till it penetrates the hardest of heart at the name of Jesus, that every knee would bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord.

He's not my coach, he's not my director. He's not my teacher. He's not my president. He's my King. He's my Lord.

And we could talk all day long about saying, well, we just need to agree to disagree. Can you stop saying that? When the Bible says to think of others more important than yourself, he's saying to humiliate yourself, that I would rather someone walk over my dead, bleeding body than to walk into hell itself. You're sitting there and you're thinking about that promotion you want to get at work, so you start spreading a rumor about the person who's vying for the same job. That's not humility.

Then when a family member does something to you, so you get on Facebook, a lot of you. You're very courageous on a keyboard. Come on. You're very courageous on a keyboard. And all you're doing is sowing discord and division when you're getting on there saying, well, you know, if my family really loved me, that's not humility.

You know, sometimes when people hurt you, if you would take time to ask five whys, you'll probably find out at the end of that string, they're hurting just as much as you're hurting by what they did. Hurting people hurt people.

But hear me again. We can't lead the broken to hope in Christ until I'm broken for the broken. Jesus was broken for you. Greater love has no one than this that he'd lay down his life for his friends. So take a moment.

Some of y'all like the blanks. You like the blanks. I like the blanks. The blanks are great. They're the best blanks.

So go to your blanks.

The blanks are huge. I love you, Donald Trump.

I want you to look at these because I want you to see the comparison. That's why I put that chart on your study guide. The first column is us, and the second column is, I can't do Joe Biden or I do the same. I told you last week I could do Jimmy Stewart, the US verse 2. By being of the same 9.

Also in Christ Jesus, verse 2. 5. Listen to this. We must appropriate our thinking to be like that of Jesus Christ. In fact, if you have a WWJD bracelet, throw it in the trash and get one that says wwjt.

Because I can do a lot of things in the name of religion, but when I think like Jesus, I'm Loving like Jesus and whatever actions I do is built on my God. And I'm doing it to bring glory and honor to him. I'm doing it so my heart would be connected to your heart and, and our hearts together out of our love, adoration, commitment to the King of the universe. So I need to appropriate his thinking to think like him. Number two, regard others as more important.

Well, he didn't regard equality with God. Something to be grasped. And I think in this world today, are we not all after position? Are we not all after, hey, look at me. I mean you don't have to go on social media 5 minutes to see self appointed experts in anything.

I mean, I get so many ads about losing weight, I should lose weight just listening to those ads. And now I've got something different to say about it. You do the crunches, you cut out the calories, you eat the meats, you do this, you get keto, you starve yourself to death. I mean you do all these things, they all are self appointed experts. But he said he did not regard equality with God the Father.

Something to be grasped. In fact, the writer of Hebrews teaches us that he learned obedience through what he suffered. This is Jesus. Wait a minute, if he's God of the universe and he knows everything, then how did he learn obedience? Because he experienced it.

You know, the Bible says that angels long to see and peer into what we have because angels don't get grace. Jesus didn't die for angels to be redeemed. Y'all know that, right? He died for mankind to be redeemed. And so the devil and his angels, there is no hope for them.

They are destined for hell, eternity. And for those that would not acknowledge Jesus Christ, for those that would reject the gospel, that is their destination. Jesus looked down and said, you know what? I'm going to go do this. He did not grasp equality, meaning he left his eternal glory, his place in heaven, but he did not cease to be God.

He said in John 10:30, I and the Father are one, we have been one, we are still one. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and Jesus. The Word was God. But then this third one, he said, do not do anything out of selfishness. Verse 3 compared to verse 7, he emptied himself.

When was the last time you did something for somebody else in a way that it did not benefit you in any shape, form or fashion? Gentlemen, when was the last time you held the door open for a lady friend? When's the last time you just thought on, you were thinking about something and said, you know, I need to give them a call and check on them. So many little simple things we do. There's so many big things we could do, like showing up on a Friday night and loving on a family who may sometimes, never, ever get a break.

Unless you've ever been in the home of someone with severe need, you don't know what it's like to not have a breather, to not have downtime, to have to plan all your trips around stops. I think of a family member whose daughter is on a feeding tube and they have to plan their stops to be able to shop and give her food, and we can't. As Shannon said, we get the opportunity to have them in our backyard and love on them. Why? So we can go and pat ourselves on the back.

There's an episode of spongebob where Squidward, like, was he. Never mind. But he does something nice for SpongeBob. Then he says, I'm just such a good person. I think a lot of us are Squidwards number one.

We're grouchy and we're like Eeyore. But some of us, some of us, though, we do what we do for the accolades and the attention. But when was the last time you did something and no one else in this world? When was the last time you did something with your right hand and your left hand not know it? Wait a minute.

Who said that? Jesus said that. Don't let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. Why? It shows that you have emptied yourself, that you have died to yourself.

Fourth one here says, but with humility of mind, the humility of Christ led to his complete humiliation. Do we get that? Like, when was the last time that you did something for someone else, even though you know it was going to embarrass you a little bit? Don't be smug for a moment. Just hear me.

There's people in your life that have needs, but you won't take them to lunch because you're afraid of what other people will think about you. Hey, students in the room. You know what I'm talking about. You got friends at school. They don't smell right, they're poor.

And because you want to stay friends with the cool group, you won't have anything to do with that other group. I know. I'm getting in your stuff. But Jesus didn't just humble himself and pick up somebody's books. He carried their cross to Calvary and was humiliated.

Hebrews 12:2 says, Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author, perfecter of Our faith. Don't you want to be perfect in your faith? Don't you want to do what it is you're supposed to do that Jesus has called you to do? Who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, to sit down at the right hand of the Father? The greatest challenge we face in getting to this level of like mindedness with Jesus is getting over what people think about us.

And if anyone in this room is guilty, it is me.

I sat down here before I got up, looking at how long I preached in the first service, and then I turned it off because I thought, you know what? It doesn't matter because I can't worry about what you think about me. Because when I do, then I'm doing what I do for profit.

I'm here to declare, thus says the Lord today God is calling you and me to consider, do I have the mind of Christ? Because verse number nine. If there is any encouragement, verse number one, then we need to think about that. God highly exalted him. The quotation there of bending the knee comes from Isaiah 45.

If you don't have a cross reference Bible, you can kind of sketch that in. It's Isaiah 45, 23. He says in 22 of that chapter, turn to me and be saved. All the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other. Amen.

No, no, no, no, no. Y'all missed that one. There is no other. There is nothing else to put my hope in. There is nothing else that will save me.

There is nothing else that will complete me. There is nothing else that will give me joy. There's nothing else that will give me comfort. There's nothing but Jesus. So he says this.

I have sworn by myself the word has gone forth from my mouth in righteousness and will not turn back that to me. Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess and swear allegiance. And they will say of me, only in the Lord are righteousness and strength. Men will come to him. And all.

Wait, catch this. All who are angry at him will be put to shame in the Lord. All of the offspring of Israel will be justified. And they will. Glory.

Sometimes you just need to say a word of praise. Glory. Come on. Some of us grew up in the south in some of these small churches. When somebody get happy, you ain't lived until you've been in the church and they start running.

Y'all ever seen that reel where that guy gets happy and he starts running around these nose dives into the baptistry. Hey, if I can Nose dive in that baptistry. Y'all need to give me something because that's about a nine foot leap up there. Glory hallelujah. Sometimes we just need to muster up the joy even when everything around us is crumbling around.

Even when I didn't get the promotion, when somebody in my family has rejected me, when my friends have forsaken me, when I didn't get that position on the team, when I failed that test. And I just say, glory, glory, glory be to God Almighty. I'll do it in a football game, but I rarely do it for the King of Kings. You see, God did two things. He gave him a name and he highly exalted him.

And the two responses from us was to bend the knee.

Some of them. Some people at the end will bend their knee because they were forced to. I don't want to do that. I want to bend my knee willingly. And I want the words on my mouth to always be, Jesus is more than just my Savior.

Jesus is more than just the God man. Jesus is more than just a theological object. Jesus is my Lord. He is my King. Now think about it.

You're excited about missions, and this person over here is excited about missions. Y'all great minds think alike. But when it's unified under Jesus Christ, all division dissolves. Whether you preach in pretense or in truth, Jesus Christ is magnified.

What would happen in our lives if we thought that way? Rather than just thinking about what separates us and what unites us, that we think about the one truth. And that is, do I have the mind of Jesus Christ? So I want to give you three things. I think that we walk away from this.

Ready? Those are those blanks there. Get your pens ready. Lick them if you need to.

Because God highly exalted him. Guess what we should do? We should exalt him highly. Recalling what Jesus has done should inspire deep, affectionate worship. Man, y'all sounded good today.

On that last song. I just kind of closed my eyes and tears began to well in my eyes as I just heard this sea of voices. Caleb stepped away from his microphone and I could hear you out singing them. And it was a beautiful sound. Second thing here, we should celebrate.

We should worship. We could sing, but there's so much more about worship. It's our daily life. We believe we pursue God daily. Right?

We need to practice bending the knee now, so it will be all the more glorious at the return of Jesus Christ. Practice bending the knee now. Can I ask you a question? When was the last time you were so moved in Prayer that you just dropped to your knees. I remember one time a situation going on in my life with one of my family members and I drove to my mom and dad's house and I couldn't find my dad.

I walked around into the kitchen to where mom's cupboard was and I looked in there and I could hear him sobbing on both knees, crying out to the Lord for my family member. When was the last time? See, to me, there are things in life sometimes that force us to our knees. But what if we willingly go to our knees? You see, because I can have joy, you and I can have joy because that's what this series is about.

But I can find joy knowing and having the same mindset that Jesus Christ has. Again, that command says in verse five, have this attitude in yourself, which was also in Christ Jesus. If you've ever been on a football team, if you've ever been on a baseball team, or if you've been. I mean, most of you work with people. Sometimes you go into that office and none of you can see eye to eye.

But the boss comes in and says, nope, this is what we're doing. You're in a play and a production, a dance, and you come in and there's some things that's not quite working. And the director comes in and says, that's not what I want. This is what I want. When we begin to look at Jesus like that as our utmost authority, not what I think about it, but having the same mind as what he has, it changes things, it diminishes division and it exalts that unity.

But how does that happen when we begin to submit ourselves to one another, looking out for others interest and not thinking so highly of ourselves. And the example of Jesus is the extreme example. But let me encourage you with this. That extreme place can have extreme results. That extreme place of humility can produce things in me that I cannot and around me that I cannot fathom.

Why? Because we have a God who said, I'll never leave you, I'll never forsake you. Right? That gospel is the unifying common thread that unites us together. So I want to invite you to stand with me.

I want to do this altar call a little different because I believe in this room today that many of us were standing here going like, you know what, that sounds good, but there's just something I can't let go of. Maybe there's bitterness in a past relationship. Maybe somebody let you down, Maybe there's some hurt that you have in your life. Maybe there's some disappointment. And you've held onto it for a long time.

But today's the day that you're going to take that and you're going to mark your calendar February 2nd, and you're going to take that thing in your hand and say, you know what, Lord, I've held onto this way too long. You've asked me many times to let it go, but I just haven't let it go. For some sick reason, I find security in this thing. But today, you know what I want you to do? We're going to pray.

In the middle of that prayer, I'm going to let you, ask you to open your hand and say, lord, here it is. Maybe it is that your mom or your dad and your growing up disappointed you. Maybe it was that one of your co workers undercut you. Whatever it may be, when I let that go and give it to the Lord, it gives me freedom to experience what he wants, to work in and through my life. And then when we get to the prayer time, as they're singing with us, I'm going to invite you, maybe you need to come down and pray about it.

Say, lord, I need you to take this from me, but I also want to challenge you. We've got a hundred something guests, plus their families coming. Could I challenge you either where you are standing, kneeling, or coming to this altar? Would you pour your heart out before God? Say, God, if you would be.

If you'd be so kind, would you give our church the opportunity to connect and love on these families on an ongoing basis? I mean, we do this, we do this to love on them. But as Joyce said, we're doing this to share the gospel with them. If they keep coming, we have more influence in their life. But to do that, they've got to make some connections with some of our people that night.

So pray for our volunteers. Pray for those families. Listen, there's something everyone in this room today can pray about, or you can glorify God about. Praise him and exalt him, or come to him and say, lord, I need help. So, Father, as we pray this morning, as we're sitting here thinking about what is that thing that may be causing a block in my life?

That bitterness, that unforgiveness, that disappointment. Maybe it's apathy, maybe it's laziness. Whatever it is today, Lord, I've been spurred in my heart that I need the mind of Christ, who was willing to give up everything to come to the earth and take on trash and die on a cross so he could Give me life. And because of that, the Father exalted him above everything. Lord, we're coming claiming first Peter five, six, that we want to humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God, that you will exalt us in due time.

But to do so, we've got to cast our care on you. And so, Lord, in my hand is my care. This is that thing. Lord, I don't mind telling the people in this room right now, it's my ability to default back to people pleasing. And I've got it in my hand right now.

So I'm going to invite them together, all of us together right now. We're opening our hand to you. We're saying, lord, here it is. I can't carry it anymore. It's a burden to me.

It's a hindrance to me, and I'm giving it to you. Now, tomorrow morning, Lord, I may wake up and it knock on my door again. But I'm going to say on February 2nd at 11:30, I gave it to you. Now take it from me, Lord, as we go into this time of decision, Lord, maybe somebody's lost today. Maybe they need to come up here and talk about being baptized, joining the church, finding a place to serve.

Lord, pastors are here. Lord, you know where our heart is to serve. But maybe they just need to come pour their heart out to you. Whatever it is, Lord, you know the next step that we need to take, the commitments that we need to voice. So Lord, I pray you move among us now in Jesus name, Amen.