Have This in Your Mind, Which Was Also in Christ Jesus

This passage contains the apostle Paul's exhortation to the believers of the church in Philippi to have the mind of Christ and to treat one another with humility. At the time, there were believers in the church who thought themselves superior and engaged in strife and vain conceit, and to correct this division Paul presents the example of the humility and service of Jesus, who emptied himself and took the form of a servant.

The sermon emphasizes a life in the church of casting away human righteousness and the world's standards, humbly obeying the advice of those who are further along spiritually, and serving one another. It conveys that when pastors and church members alike follow the love of Christ, caring for one another from a low place and relating with love and devotion instead of criticism and condemnation, the church grows strong and God is glorified. It also reminds us that a life that obeys God's will, not the world's logic of success, is true blessing.

How can believers gain the wisdom to have the mind of Christ and to humble themselves and serve their brothers and sisters, rather than insisting on their own opinions? And amid the temptation to apply the world's methods to the church, how can they live out a truly humble life of obedience?