The Lord be with you
As I shared the word of God today, the batteries in my recorder gave out. Therefore I cannot post my typical video of the message. What is below is the text I take into the pulpit. If you heard the sermon, you may notice where I varied from this written text, but the substance from each is the same. Aside from the text for the sermon, you will find the text of the scripture lessons, the hymns we sang, and a synopsis of the lessons provided by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert
Sermon: The Same Mind
Text: Philippians 2:1-2
SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Proper 21
October 1, 2017
Lections: Ezekiel 18:1–4, 25–32; Philippians 2:1–4 (5–13) 14–18; Matthew 21:23–27 (28–32)
Hymns
Opening: LSB 738 “Lord of All Hopefulness”
Sermon: LSB 655 “Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word”
Distribution: LSB 549 “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name”
LSB 628 “Your Table I Approach”
LSB 696 “O God, My Faithful God”
Closing: LSB 917 “Savior, Again to Thy Dear Name We Raise”
The Cross of Christ Opens to Us the Way of Repentance to Life with God
The way of the Lord is righteous and just: “the soul who sins shall die” (Ezek. 18:4). However, because the Lord has “no pleasure in the death of anyone” (Ezek. 18:32), He calls sinners to repentance and faith in His gracious forgiveness of sins. The man who is thus turned away from his wickedness, who henceforth lives by the grace of God, “shall surely live; he shall not die” (Ezek. 18:28). This way of repentance has been opened for us by the cross of Christ. In the righteousness of faith and love, “he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death” (Phil. 2:8), and He was vindicated in His resurrection from the dead. Indeed, “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name” (Phil. 2:9). He has given us this name in our Baptism into Christ, in whom we now “shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15). He uses the authority that He has received from His Father (Matt. 21:23–27) to preach a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, by which even “the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God” (Matt. 21:31–32).
Introit Ps. 147:1–5; antiphon: Ps. 147:6
The LORD lifts up the humble;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
Great is our LORD, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
The LORD lifts up the humble;
he casts the wicked to the ground.
Old Testament Ezekiel 18:1–4, 25–32
1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2“What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? 3As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 4Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die. …
25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? 26When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. 27Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. 28Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, are my ways not just? Is it not your ways that are not just?
30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. 31Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”
Epistle Philippians 2:1–4, 14–18
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. …
14 Do all things without grumbling or questioning, 15that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
Holy Gospel Matthew 21:23–27
23 When [Jesus] entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”
24 Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” 27So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
1So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Philippians 2:1-2
St Paul encourages us to be “of the same mind.” Being of the same mind is, in one way, not all that difficult. A football team, executing a play, is of the same mind. A business with a clear statement of purpose and a plan to execute it, is of the same mind. I remember reading an article years back about Disneyland. All employees were to consider themselves actors, right down to the people cleaning up litter. Every employee didn’t simply represent Disney, but were actors in support of Snow White, Dumbo, Ariel, and so on. They were of one mind.
But for us, it is a bit different. When the employees of Disney left Disney property, they were no longer of the same mind. While they might have been infinitely patient with customers, that patience might completely disappear when dealing with their own neighbors. Paul’s appeal is for true unity, not based on a paycheck, but based on our unity in Christ. He is appealing to us to be “Christ-like.”
We hear of this often in the New Testament. For example, Paul wrote to the Romans: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Peter wrote, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). In chapter 4 Peter goes on to describe this Christ-like life. He wrote:
7The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen (1 Peter 4:7-11).
In our reading from Philippians, Paul says, in referring to this Christ-like life, “Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life” (14-16a).
In our reading from Philippians we see Paul contrast our Christian demeanor with the way of the unregenerated by describing them as a “crooked and twisted generation.” Paul is not simply describing the first century non-Christian, but all non-Christians throughout time. The word “generation” isn’t referring to the life-span of individual people but is being used to describe all who fit into a category throughout time, in this case, those who have rejected the Triune God.
Scripture uses the word “generation” like this often. For example, Jesus once said, “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place” (Luke 21:32). Jesus meant, with the words “this generation,” all of us living in these latter days, from the birth of Jesus until the return of Jesus. All of us are seeing the signs of the times, especially the spreading of the word of the Gospel. (cf: Deuteronomy 32:5, 20; Psalm 14:5; 24:6; 49:19; 73:15; 78:8; 102:18; 112:2; Matthew 12:39; 16:4; Acts 2:40)
So how we live every day of our lives is to reflect our relationship with Jesus. Our lives are to be a light to all the non-Christians we meet.
At this point in a message it would be easy to skip to a description of what that Christ-like life looks like. I could pull out some of my pet peeves and, by the end of the sermon, everyone would either know that they fall short and feel miserable, or they might feel self-satisfied because they are not particularly challenged by my pet peeves.
Either result is not what Saint Paul is shooting for. We must start where Paul started earlier in his letter.
In the very first verse of Philippians, Paul calls them “saints in Christ Jesus” (1:1). A saint is one who has repented of their sins and trusted in Jesus as he who “cleanses us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Paul goes on to rejoice in the “partnership in the gospel” that the Philippians share with him (1:5). Paul and the Philippians are of the same mind in proclaiming God’s grace in Christ Jesus. In other words, like Jesus, we are to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Paul is also clear that this is not some sort of self-generated good work. Paul said that he was confident that “He who began a good work in [the Philippians] will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (1:6). Paul also says that the Philippians are “partakers with [him] of grace” (1:7).
So as we come up to this passage about reflecting the mind of Christ in our lives, we need to remember that such a Christ-like life is founded on, and is only possible because of, God’s grace in Christ Jesus. To the extent that we seek to live such a life under our own power, we are destined for failure. To the extent that our lives are built on repentant faith, we have a foundation for a Christ-like life.
The next thing we need to remember is that our efforts will fall short. So we will always be in need of God’s grace, God’s mercy, God’s love, God’s forgiveness. Indeed, it is through the recognition that we need and receive his pardon that we are granted the Christ-like mind Paul speaks of. So Jesus, in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector said the repentant tax collector went home justified, not the Pharisee who sought to live according to the Law by his own power (Luke 18:9-14).
The third thing necessary to have a Christ-like mind is to “hold fast to the word of life” (16). The “word of life” might refer to Jesus. After all, he is called the “Word” in John 1 and he is the One who earned for us life and salvation. However, it is most likely here a reference to the Gospel. It is through the Gospel message that we hear and receive God’s grace, God’s mercy. Indeed, it is through the Gospel that faith in us is generated. It is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). I can also add that it is through the Word of God that we know what the mind of Christ is. Do you want to know what Jesus would do? Then read what he did do. He doesn’t change (Hebrews 13:8). However we should never drive a wedge between Jesus and the Gospel. You can’t have one without the other. To reject Scripture is to reject Jesus and accept idols. So Luther once observed, “The Bible is the cradle wherein Christ is laid.”
Now Paul’s letter to the Philippians is one of those grand letters where the congregation was not having any major problems. So the letter is one of encouragement to continue and to grow in the very direction they had begun. So they, in general, did not act out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility counted others more significant than themselves. In general, the people did not consider only their own interests, but also the interest of others. Paul is saying that this practice is living in a Christ-like way and he is encouraging them to continue to do so and to grow in this grace.
We don’t have time to consider all of the attributes of a Christ-like life Paul speaks of here, let alone what we find in the rest of the Bible, so let us focus on just one: humility. I pick this one because it is so out of sync with the “crooked and twisted generation” of the world.
The opposite of “humility” would be “pride.” The word “pride,” in the Bible often appears with words like “boast,” “scoffer,” and “arrogant.” I counted such words 241 times in the Bible. Of that count, 195 of their appearances is in a negative light. Just one is Psalm 31:18, “Let the lying lips be mute, which speak insolently against the righteous in pride and contempt.”
Eight times the concept is used in a neutral way, like 1 Kings 20:11, “the king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Let not him who straps on his armor boast of himself as he who takes it off.” Here he isn’t saying boasting is bad or good, only that it is dumb to boast of future events that may or may not come to pass.
Surprisingly enough, the concept of pride is used 38 times in a positive light. However it is not pride in our own works, but in the work of God, especially his work of salvation. So Paul tells the Galatians, “But far be it from me to b
oast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).
I counted 91 times the words humble, humility and meek are used in the Bible. Only 11 times are such words used in a negative light, and never as describing a personal characteristic. It is used in a negative way in referencing someone being humbled, like when a king defeats another king. The defeated king can be referred to as being humbled by the victorious king. Only three times is it use in a neutral way. The vast majority, 77 times, the idea of humility is a positive thing, like in our reading from Philippians today.
When we think of just who Jesus is, the Second Person of the Triune God, it is rather amazing to a “crooked and twisted generation” that he is described as humble (Matthew 21:5; Philippians 2:8). Like every generation before us, pride is considered a good thing and humility bad. People taut themselves and distain the humble. God has a different opinion.
The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground. (Psalm 147:6) [Introit]
For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation. (Psalm 149:4)
This humility is not of the world. It is a gift of grace. It springs from a repentant and forgiven heart. It is the mind of Christ. We pray, “Humble me, O Lord, that I may serve in Your kingdom and bring glory to You. Make me of the same mind as you. Help me to remember, it’s not about me, it is about You.” Amen.