The Mind of Christ - Humble and Serving

Philippians 2:5–11 (NKJV) ⁵Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. ⁹Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, ¹¹and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The mind of Christ as described in this passage reveals total humility.  Christ who is equal with God was willing to leave the glories of heaven to come to earth as a man.  Then even as a man to suffer death on a cross in a manner that was usually reserved for the worst of criminals.

Yet, notice the terminology used of “bondservant” and “obedient”.  These are terms that are often looked down upon in our culture.  “Obedience” and “submission” seem old-fashioned and undesirable to many.  Yet, it was Christ submission to the Father’s will as revealed in Luke 22:42 where Jesus said, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will but Yours, be done,” that reveals how beautiful and beneficial to mankind submission can be. 

Christ was humble and submitted to the Father’s will.  Because of this God exalted Him, lifted Him up.   Christ’s name is above all and all will one day bow before Him.  Those bowing will include those created beings in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.  There will be none that will be able to avoid it. Even those who mock Him today and will one day face eternal punishment will bow down and their tongues will confess Jesus Christ as Lord.   

If we recall, the passage began with the challenge to “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus”.  Are we humble?  Are we willing to submit to others?  It is commanded in Eph. 5:21.  We are also commanded to submit to God. (James 4:7)

Peter challenges us in I Peter 5:6 to “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time.”  When we choose to humbly submit to God and others we give God the opportunity to bring exaltation to us when he sees fit.  It may be while we are on earth or it may simply be when we stand face to face and hear “well done My good and faithful servant.”    

The video version of this is available at www.youtube.com/churchoflittleton  FW # 50

Christmas - Luke's Account

A many are celebrating Christmas we want to share the Biblical account of Christ’s birth from Luke.

Luke 1:26–2:38 (NKJV)

²⁶Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

²⁸And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

²⁹But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.

³⁰Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. ³²He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. ³³And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

¹And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. …⁴Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.

⁶So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.

⁷And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. ⁸Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

¹⁰Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

¹⁵So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”

¹⁶And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.

¹⁷Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

¹⁹But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.

²⁰Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

The audio/video version of this is available at www.youtube.com/churchoflittleton  Christmas special # 5

The Christmas Account from Matthew!

As Christmas approaches, we want to share with the Biblical account from Matthew of our Savior’s Birth!

Matthew 1:18–2:23 (NKJV) ¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. ²⁰But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

²²So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ²³“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” ²⁴Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, ²⁵and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

¹Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” ³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

⁶‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

⁷Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.

⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

⁹When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.

¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

¹¹And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

The Video version of this is available at www.youtube.com/churchoflittleton  Christmas special # 4

Christmas # 2 God's Christmas Plans in Isaiah

God’s plan for the salvation of mankind started before the foundation of the world, but God gradually over time revealed this plan to mankind until the “fullness of time was come”  (Gal. 4:4).

Eve learned of a promised “Seed” (Gen. 3).  Abraham learned of being a “blessing” to all mankind (Gen. 12).  David learned of an eternal kingdom (I Sam. 7:13).

As time went on God continued to reveal more specifics about this “Seed”.  Through the prophet Isaiah we were told in Isaiah 7:14 (NKJV), “¹⁴Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”  This virgin would give birth to the Son of God.  Even in His name Immanuel which is interpreted for us in Mattthew 1:23 God reveals more.  The meaning of Immanuel is “God with us”.   God would indeed dwell with man.

Further prophecy in Isaiah gives us more specifics.  Isaiah 9:6–7 (NKJV) ⁶For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

 

This Son who would be a ruler would be a wonderful counselor.  It is Jesus who even as a twelve year old boy astounded the Jewish Rabbis with His wisdom in Luke 2:46-47.  Bill Crowder writes, “What is the evidence that Jesus Christ is the Wonderful Counselor?  We see it fleshed out in a Person.  We read of, reflect on, and appeal for help from the One ‘who became for us wisdom from God.’ (I Cor. 1:30”

As Christ continued to minister publicly the question was asked, “Where did this man get this wisdom?” (Mt. 13:54) and Paul wrote in Col 2:3, that in Him “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

This “Wonderful Counselor” is also the “Mighty God”.  As God, He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.  As one who is Mighty, there is no other whose might can be comparable to His.  But this Son, Jesus, would not only have the power of God, but He would be the Power of God!

For each individual today that recognizes their failure to stand up and maintain God’s holy standards of righteousness, John gives us this promise, “But as many as received Him to them He gave the right to become the children of God, even to those who believe on His name.”  (Jn. 1:12)

The video version of this is available at www.youtube.com/churchoflittleton  

The Christmas Promise # 1 (Eve to David)

As Christmas day approaches many of us are making plans to either have relatives in or to travel to relatives homes.  Some of these plans may have been put into action weeks, months, or possibly over a year ago.  What many don’t realize is that Christmas, the day we celebrate Christ’s birth,  was a plan that had been in place for a very long time.

Ephesians 1:4 tells us that God’s plan was in place “before the foundation of the world.”  Before God ever spoke into being the earth and the rest of Creation he had planned to send His Son.

God did not share all the details with man in the beginning, but over time he shared more and more until, as Galatians 4:4puts it, “the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law.”

God first began to reveal this plan to Satan, Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15 where in response to the serpent deceiving Eve He prophesied, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”  Eve seems to show some limited understanding of this promised seed in Genesis 4:1 where the Hebrew reads, “I have gotten a man, the LORD!” Though her understanding of the promise was wrong, for this child was Cain, her faith in the promise was correct.  God would indeed provide a Seed that would crush Satan’s head.

If we turn over to Genesis 12 we see further revelation regarding this long-time plan of God.  God promised Abraham in verses 3-2, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you…and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”   This Seed that had been promised to Eve would come through the line of Abraham.  Though it took many years God fulfilled his promise to Abraham and Sarah and gave them a son, Isaac, through whom this promise would continue.  

Isaac’s son Jacob had twelve sons, and at his death he prophesied of Judah’s descendants reigning, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah.” Gen. 49:10.

In II Samuel 5 one of Judah’s descendants was placed as king over Israel.  His name was David.  To David God further shared his future plans regarding this Seed.  “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom…and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever…and your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you.  Your throne shall be established forever.” (II Sam. 7:13)

Through these passages we see that this baby born on Christmas day was part of God’s plan before the beginning of time, and slowly He revealed more about this Seed as the ages passed.  Take time as you do your Christmas preparations to reflect on this promised Seed, Jesus Christ, and His reason for coming to earth.

The video version of this is available at www.youtube.com/churchoflittleton   Christmas special 1