Introduction. Since the quickest way to grow as a Christian is to “put off the old man and put on the new man” and “be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” the last four articles have been written to renew our mind on the greatness of serving. We should long to leave behind the selfish thinking of this age and replace it with the service of humility found in the world to come. Jesus was very stern in His warning that all such things must be cut off or plucked out if we are to be saved. Even if our selfish desires for greatness or wealth have become as important to us as our right hand, foot or eye, they must be removed, lest our whole body be cast into hell. (Mk. 9:44-48). As Paul spoke of his own desires for greatness he said, “I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” His motivation was exactly as Jesus revealed above. He cut it all off: “if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Are we prepared to “join in following my example?” (Phil 3:8-15).
Since true greatness comes from learning how to be a servant, everything hindering this service must be removed. Jesus was as clear as He could possibly be that: “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all,” and “whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.” (Mk. 9:35; 10:43-44). Yet after four weeks of studying these things, has it made any difference yet? Can we honestly say that we have made any new strides to become more of a servant? Since “as many as are mature have this mind,” this is a critical step to maturity.
Since true greatness comes from learning how to be a servant, everything hindering this service must be removed. Jesus was as clear as He could possibly be that: “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all,” and “whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.” (Mk. 9:35; 10:43-44). Yet after four weeks of studying these things, has it made any difference yet? Can we honestly say that we have made any new strides to become more of a servant? Since “as many as are mature have this mind,” this is a critical step to maturity.
Since “nothing” should ever “be done through selfish ambition or conceit,” they become our biggest hindrance and must be cut off and plucked out. When we find ourselves doing anything because of a “selfish striving for advantage” or “groundless self-esteem,” we need to recognize that these are sinful attitudes and whenever we act under their influence is a sin. (Jas. 4:17). Yet these two things are prominent among the Gentiles, and they form a fundamental role in the lives of most new converts. For that reason, they are often difficult to see. While they feel natural after a lifetime of use, we must now learn to feel shame and remorse whenever we have acted on them.
Are we truly prepared to spend the rest of our lives rooting these tares out of our lives? They often lurk in the background of our relationships with others. Now that we are aware, we must assess these relationships and seek to learn where they are found. As Paul began to discuss the relationships of husband and wife, parents and children and servants and masters, he began with: “submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.” (Eph. 5:21-33; 6:1-10). This is the submission that makes us great in the kingdom of heaven. So, whenever we become angry when we feel we were not treated as we expected, we are not in submission. When we feel our dignity has been threatened or our self-esteem compromised, we must stop and realize, whatever we do next, we will later have to repent for doing.
It is not difficult “in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” when we are in a good mood or around people we deem equal or superior. What do we do when those we deem as being lower than we are (groundless self-esteem) treat us with disrespect? If it creates a visceral response of anger, we sin, but if we accept it as a servant and respond with patience and understanding, we are a true servant. It is always easy to “look out not only for our own interests, but also for the interests of others,” when it doesn’t cost us anything or we care deeply for them. But what do we do when looking out for the interests of others means we have to stop doing what we enjoy to help someone we don’t know well with something we don’t enjoy?
Everyone has their flash point - that point where we feel pushed to the point of anger, frustration or jealousy because of our “selfish striving for advantage.” It can be in a home between a husband and wife or between parents and children. When one or both spouses are selfish and refuse to serve, this passage will be violated and we will sin. It can be among friends, co-workers, and even with our brethren in Christ. When the glory we seek is given to another, or our opinion is questioned by someone we see as being beneath us, how we respond reveals our progress. When our pride has been stepped on or we see others not treating us with the respect and honor we thought we had earned, those under the influence of worldly thinking will respond by sulking, becoming sullen, or even angry. If we feel any of these things, we are still in the grip this sin.
To help counter the influence of the many years of being under bondage to such emotions, the Holy Spirit asked us to take all of our attitudes and emotions regarding service and see if they mirror Jesus’ attitude and emotions. We are to have “this mind in you which also in Christ Jesus.”
The Holy Spirit takes us into the heavenly realm of eternity, to a moment when Jesus was still “the Word, who was with God, and was God.” (Jn. 1:1-3). These are the eternal attitudes and emotions of God. If we can grasp these thoughts, our first response will be shame and remorse that we are not like Him. Then, over time, we will begin to understand the foundation and reason why “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many,” and like Paul “will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls.” (2Cor. 12:15).
The more we understand about His exalted position as He had this mind, the more powerful these words will become. This is one of the most profound things stated anywhere about Jesus and we have to give careful thought to it. “Though He was in the form of God, He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.” As we allow these words to sink in, awe and amazement will follow. Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified and spat upon was in the form of God and He was also equal to God before He came. No one can fully comprehend His greatness, power and majesty, but these words are enough for the purpose the Holy Spirit revealed them. He lost none of this while He served others. If while equal to God and in God’s form, He could see things in this light, we can and must see it that way also. If He could not, none of us can be lowered or demeaned when we serve others as He did.
“He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.” This is the heart of the thought. It is the main hindrance of those who can’t let go and become a servant. They feel their own greatness and self-esteem would be compromised if they lowered themselves to allow others to spit upon them, or to turn the other cheek when they are struck in the face. The Word who was with God, was God, and had equality with God, did not think in this way. He considered it to be a greater position than the one He held because it gave Him the ability to serve God in the greatest way possible. There was no selfishness in the Word before He became flesh. This was a divine attribute, part of the image of God we were created to mirror. He felt no need to grasp or cling to them. His care and concern for the needs of others was so great that He was willing to become a servant.
Regardless of what we feel we would lose when we serve others, it is insignificant in comparison to Jesus. No one would have more reason to expect others to serve them than Jesus. He was in the form of God, was God and shared equality with God. In His role in the creation, “all things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that has been made.” He not only understood everything about chemistry, physics, anatomy and astronomy, but also had the power to perfectly create everything based upon them. No one has ever walked this earth with more greatness, power and natural ability than Jesus. The Creator came into His creation to serve and die for sinners who did not deserve His service. He did not need to be called Rabbi, have the chief seats in the synagogue, or as the Gentiles, to lord it over others.
He saw all His attributes as being additional ways to use in His service to others. He did not use His position of greatness and power to avoid or remove Himself from serving. He did not expect or demand others serve Him. Instead, He “made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” As He walked this earth, He never lost sight of this. It was a voluntary service. He did not take abuse from the Jewish leaders because He had no choice, but because He was a servant of God. He never felt the need to retaliate or let people know that they had no right to treat Him in such a lowly way. The very things that would lead us to feel outraged at such treatment were all taken in stride in order to accomplish the service God wanted Him to do for man.
Conclusion. This is so humbling as it reveals the base nature of our own selfishness. God highly exalted Him because He had this mind and acted upon it. If we have His mind, we will act exactly the same way. Those we once saw as “beneath us” because of our “attributes of greatness,” now become those we can serve in a much better way because we have those attributes. When this becomes the basis of our understanding of our own role in this world as His servants, we will become a better husband or wife, a better servant or master, and will take our place as among the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Are we truly prepared to spend the rest of our lives rooting these tares out of our lives? They often lurk in the background of our relationships with others. Now that we are aware, we must assess these relationships and seek to learn where they are found. As Paul began to discuss the relationships of husband and wife, parents and children and servants and masters, he began with: “submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.” (Eph. 5:21-33; 6:1-10). This is the submission that makes us great in the kingdom of heaven. So, whenever we become angry when we feel we were not treated as we expected, we are not in submission. When we feel our dignity has been threatened or our self-esteem compromised, we must stop and realize, whatever we do next, we will later have to repent for doing.
It is not difficult “in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” when we are in a good mood or around people we deem equal or superior. What do we do when those we deem as being lower than we are (groundless self-esteem) treat us with disrespect? If it creates a visceral response of anger, we sin, but if we accept it as a servant and respond with patience and understanding, we are a true servant. It is always easy to “look out not only for our own interests, but also for the interests of others,” when it doesn’t cost us anything or we care deeply for them. But what do we do when looking out for the interests of others means we have to stop doing what we enjoy to help someone we don’t know well with something we don’t enjoy?
Everyone has their flash point - that point where we feel pushed to the point of anger, frustration or jealousy because of our “selfish striving for advantage.” It can be in a home between a husband and wife or between parents and children. When one or both spouses are selfish and refuse to serve, this passage will be violated and we will sin. It can be among friends, co-workers, and even with our brethren in Christ. When the glory we seek is given to another, or our opinion is questioned by someone we see as being beneath us, how we respond reveals our progress. When our pride has been stepped on or we see others not treating us with the respect and honor we thought we had earned, those under the influence of worldly thinking will respond by sulking, becoming sullen, or even angry. If we feel any of these things, we are still in the grip this sin.
To help counter the influence of the many years of being under bondage to such emotions, the Holy Spirit asked us to take all of our attitudes and emotions regarding service and see if they mirror Jesus’ attitude and emotions. We are to have “this mind in you which also in Christ Jesus.”
The Holy Spirit takes us into the heavenly realm of eternity, to a moment when Jesus was still “the Word, who was with God, and was God.” (Jn. 1:1-3). These are the eternal attitudes and emotions of God. If we can grasp these thoughts, our first response will be shame and remorse that we are not like Him. Then, over time, we will begin to understand the foundation and reason why “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many,” and like Paul “will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls.” (2Cor. 12:15).
The more we understand about His exalted position as He had this mind, the more powerful these words will become. This is one of the most profound things stated anywhere about Jesus and we have to give careful thought to it. “Though He was in the form of God, He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.” As we allow these words to sink in, awe and amazement will follow. Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified and spat upon was in the form of God and He was also equal to God before He came. No one can fully comprehend His greatness, power and majesty, but these words are enough for the purpose the Holy Spirit revealed them. He lost none of this while He served others. If while equal to God and in God’s form, He could see things in this light, we can and must see it that way also. If He could not, none of us can be lowered or demeaned when we serve others as He did.
“He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.” This is the heart of the thought. It is the main hindrance of those who can’t let go and become a servant. They feel their own greatness and self-esteem would be compromised if they lowered themselves to allow others to spit upon them, or to turn the other cheek when they are struck in the face. The Word who was with God, was God, and had equality with God, did not think in this way. He considered it to be a greater position than the one He held because it gave Him the ability to serve God in the greatest way possible. There was no selfishness in the Word before He became flesh. This was a divine attribute, part of the image of God we were created to mirror. He felt no need to grasp or cling to them. His care and concern for the needs of others was so great that He was willing to become a servant.
Regardless of what we feel we would lose when we serve others, it is insignificant in comparison to Jesus. No one would have more reason to expect others to serve them than Jesus. He was in the form of God, was God and shared equality with God. In His role in the creation, “all things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that has been made.” He not only understood everything about chemistry, physics, anatomy and astronomy, but also had the power to perfectly create everything based upon them. No one has ever walked this earth with more greatness, power and natural ability than Jesus. The Creator came into His creation to serve and die for sinners who did not deserve His service. He did not need to be called Rabbi, have the chief seats in the synagogue, or as the Gentiles, to lord it over others.
He saw all His attributes as being additional ways to use in His service to others. He did not use His position of greatness and power to avoid or remove Himself from serving. He did not expect or demand others serve Him. Instead, He “made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” As He walked this earth, He never lost sight of this. It was a voluntary service. He did not take abuse from the Jewish leaders because He had no choice, but because He was a servant of God. He never felt the need to retaliate or let people know that they had no right to treat Him in such a lowly way. The very things that would lead us to feel outraged at such treatment were all taken in stride in order to accomplish the service God wanted Him to do for man.
Conclusion. This is so humbling as it reveals the base nature of our own selfishness. God highly exalted Him because He had this mind and acted upon it. If we have His mind, we will act exactly the same way. Those we once saw as “beneath us” because of our “attributes of greatness,” now become those we can serve in a much better way because we have those attributes. When this becomes the basis of our understanding of our own role in this world as His servants, we will become a better husband or wife, a better servant or master, and will take our place as among the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
- For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, (Phil. 2:9-10)