TRUE ESTEEM by Pastor Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson
Introduction: According to TIMSS (the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study), which is a collaboration of various individuals and organizations worldwide, students from Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan repeatedly score the highest in Math and Science proficiencies. Our United States is around number 10 and even European countries are not as high as you would expect. But, when they asked these students how good they thought they were in Math and Science, guess what they said. The students from high scoring countries said that they were not good but the students from low scoring countries said that they were great. I think that in the West we have done an okay job teaching Math and Science but a great job teaching self-esteem.What is self-esteem? It is the confidence in one’s own self-worth and abilities. It is demonstrated by Lucy in Peanuts. She is always so bossy and opinionated. In one cartoon she says – “The world revolves around the sun? That’s odd. I thought it revolved around me.” Unfortunately, that mindset can be found among Christians as well. It goes against the mind of our Savior and King Jesus and is at the root of a lot of our problems in our home, relationships, and church. Today we will learn how to have “TRUE ESTEEM.”
Philippians 2 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, andcoming in the likeness of men. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient tothe point ofdeath, 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, 11andthatevery tongue should confess that Jesus ChristisLord, to the glory of God the Father.
Question: How do you see yourself? Like Lucy do you think the sun revolves around you? Do you have the mind of Christ? Are you saved?
Context:So far in our series called MIND (RE)SET we have learned that God made human beings as mind and body. They are both important. Both have been corrupted by sin and both need redemption through Jesus Christ. Our focus is the mind because it drives both our mind and our body. There are things that are out of our hands like our genetic makeup, upbringing, and circumstances, but through our salvation in Jesus Christ and under the grace and providence of God, this mind can be reset. It requires growth in Christ, his Word and Spirit, and godly fellowship. These are essential to reset our minds to synch with the mind of Christ. For e.g. Marriage conference helps greatly in this.
Now comes the next step – What is the mind of Christ? 6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.”This is one of the most discussed and debated passages in all of Paul’s letters. Several questions need to be answered:
Question #1 – What is the “form of God?” The Greek word is “morph” and it is a rare word in Paul’s vocabulary and even the NT.It can have many meanings.
- Fill out the “form” or application. Obviously, this is not what Paul meant.
- Shaming is the worst “form” of punishment. Here it means “type” or “kind.” Was Paul saying that Jesus was a type of God? The rest of the NT will disagree.
- The sun rose and he could see the “form” of a person in the distance. Was Paul saying that Jesus was in the shape of God? Not from the rest of the context.
- There is yet another meaning – Ice is a “form” of water that is frozen. The pulpit is “formed” of steal and iron. In other words, that’s its content. That’s what it is made of. That’s its essence and character. We often use the word “form” with another word like “transform,” “reform,” or “deform.”What is Paul saying? Before Jesus chose to come into this world, he had all the content of being God. He had total divine nature.
What is the form, content, and essence of being God? (We are not talking about attributes like holiness, truth, love, power, etc.)
1. Spirit
John 4:24“GodisSpirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
2. Eternal
Micah 5:2“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, thoughyou are little among the thousands of Judah, Yetout of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings fortharefrom of old, from everlasting.”A better translation is “whose origins are from of old.” In other words, “although he will be born yet he has no beginning.”
3. Glorious
John 17:5“And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”
Application:Do you understand what Jesus (the second person of the godhead) gave up for you?
Question #2 – What is Equality with God? There is one God. God is three persons. Each person is fully God. Each person has a different function.
A. In Creation
John 1 1“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”2He was in the beginning with God.Jehovah’s Witnesses try to claim that it can mean that “the Word was a god.” This is not true. When definite nouns precede the verb, they lack the definite article. John 1:3“All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” The Father spoke and the Son created. How about the Spirit? Genesis 1 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was without form, and void; and darknesswason the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
Colossians 1 16“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”
B. In Redemption
John 3:16For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Galatians 4:4“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law.”
Where is the Spirit? John 14:26“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
Let’s return to verse 6“who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.” The word for robbery is “harpagmos” which can be translated “something to hold onto” or “something to grasp after.” The latter is better. So, the translation is “who being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to grasp after.” In other words, he had no desire to usurp God the Father’s role and authority.
Were these distinctions just temporary or pre-incarnational? No, they are eternal. Listen to I Corinthians 15:28“Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.”
Application:Jesus was/is fully God. He is totally equal in essence to his Father and the Spirit. Nonetheless, he has a different role and function in the Trinity. He is functionally subordinate to his Father.
To have the mind of Christ is to know that you are equal recipients of God’s grace and yet understand your role in each relationship.
For e.g.Marriage –I Corinthians 11:3“But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of womanisman, and the head of ChristisGod.”
I can go on and on but the point is that Jesus was fully God before he ever came into this world. He knew who he was. He was not missing any aspect of godhead. He was not being demoted. He was willing to step down into our world for a reason. All this time, he was/is still maintaining his role of the Son with the Father.
How do you think of yourself? Do you know who you are in Christ? Are you saved?
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