[0:00] Last Lord's Day we looked at the general principle that the Apostle Paul lays down in Philippians chapter 2 where Christ left the courts of heaven to come here to this earth in our flesh, in our nature, in order to be our Savior.
[0:23] It was necessary for him to take on flesh in order to represent us perfectly and to give himself as a sacrifice for us.
[0:38] A sacrifice without spot and blemish or any such thing. And then on Thursday if you were out we considered the great application that the Apostle wants us to adopt as Christians.
[0:55] That we are the lights of the world and that how we are to go into the world itself and to bear witness and testimony.
[1:06] But in a way we've put the cart before the horse in going to that on Thursday. But I thought that it was important to see it and to look at it.
[1:18] But today I want us to go back to the first verses of Philippians chapter 2. Paul has even more basic application for us to learn as we approach 2020.
[1:33] Moving from one year to another. We don't know what 2020 has in store for us. It will bring a host of situations to our lives.
[1:47] There will be blessings and there will be losses. Some of us will be blessed with great opportunities while others will have great challenges.
[1:59] Some of us will be tempted to sin but will say no and will resist temptation. Others will yield and bring a lot of pain into their lives and into the lives of those that love them.
[2:13] Some of us are going to be set on fire in our relationship with God. And others will be distracted by the things of this world and begin to grow cold.
[2:28] Whichever combination happens to us it will cause us to come with an attitude. An attitude of mind. It's one thing that nobody can give us.
[2:43] And nobody can take away from us either. In having what attitude we have. But what will be our attitude in 2020.
[2:56] Because Paul tells us that whatever attitude we have is something we can do something about. We are the ones who choose it and we are the ones who can change it.
[3:09] So let's look at verse 5 of Philippians chapter 2. Where the Apostle Paul says, Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus.
[3:28] Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus. The New International Version puts it, Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.
[3:42] And the New Living Translation perhaps a little more helpful. He says, You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
[3:53] So our attitude is the way that we think, The way our mind is set. What drives us, What sets us in the way in which we react, And the way in which we deal with life itself.
[4:14] We then are to have an attitude, Attitude says Paul, That Christ had.
[4:26] And that's why he sets out how that Christ left the glory, Where he was with the Father, To come here for us.
[4:37] He became a servant. And that's basic to our attitude, Or that which we ought to have. Now it was in Philippi that there was a lady called Lydia, Who one day walked outside the city gates of Philippi, In order to attend a women's prayer meeting.
[5:03] And this meeting was interrupted by two traveling preachers, Paul and Silas. And they shared with these women the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[5:14] They spoke of how he was the very Messiah, That they had been longing for and discussing, That he had now come into the world. And as they were speaking, God opened Lydia's heart, As she listened to these men, Opening up this truth about Christ.
[5:37] And she gave her heart, Her life to Christ. And she was baptized, Along with the members of her household. And she invited the men, Paul and Silas, To come to her house, So that she could put them up, For the time that they were there.
[5:56] Evidently she was quite a wealthy woman, A seller of purple, A rare commodity. And we can imagine something of the conversation.
[6:09] Paul and Silas said, Well, thank you, But no thank you. Most of us might have graciously accepted their no, And said, Well, at least I was willing to offer help.
[6:23] But inside we were breathing a sigh of relief, The place is in such a mess. But what made Lydia different, Was that she came with an attitude.
[6:37] She had the mind of Christ, And she didn't accept no, For an answer. And she came again to them and said, Come on and let me be a servant to you.
[6:51] Surely you must be tired, And need a place to stay. But again they said, Thanks, but no thanks. We'll be alright. And so she came to them again, With an attitude, Having the mind of Christ.
[7:09] Once more she said, Now look here, I heard you preach that when Jesus comes, Into a person's life there's a change. I heard you say that we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
[7:22] Now look, If you consider me a believer in the Lord, Then come and stay at my house. And so Paul and Silas knew, That they had run into a person, With an attitude, An attitude for the cause of Jesus Christ.
[7:41] And she persuaded them, And took them into her house, For her chicken and sprouts, And roast potatoes, Or whatever they had for a meal. And she accommodated them, And she accommodated them, Because of her love for Christ, And thus for them, As brothers in Christ.
[8:02] Now Lydia, When she set out in the morning, For that woman's meeting, Didn't know what was going to happen, But her life was changed forever.
[8:16] Now maybe God's going to do the same for you in 2020, But he doesn't put up a big sign, Which says, This is going to happen. It's one little decision we make, Day after day, That leads to our life, And to the alterations, And changes in our lives, That God intends for us, As his people.
[8:45] We don't know, What going to the meeting might mean, A routine meeting. We don't know, When God will suddenly pour out, His spirit upon his church, And there's great blessing, And if we're not there, If we decide, Oh I can't be bothered today, We miss out, On what God has for us.
[9:11] We don't know, What a day will bring, What a service will bring, What it might do for us, And for our family. Our attitude, Our mindset, Should be for Christ, And as Christ.
[9:30] Lydia didn't go, To the meeting with plans, That she and her household, Would be baptized, But it happened. She didn't intend, To provide for the needs, Of two preachers, She didn't know they were there, But it happened, It happened, Because she had the right attitude, She didn't mind God, Interrupting her plans, She didn't mind, That the Lord came to her, And changed her life, It was her joy, It affected her, Forever.
[10:12] What is the Lord for us, In 2020? We don't know, But we must be ready, For him to come.
[10:25] Now we read from, Genesis 4, In the Old Testament, And that story is familiar to us, I'm sure, And that's one of the reasons, Why I read it.
[10:38] But we found, There are two people, Both had an attitude, One was a right attitude, One didn't have a right attitude, But we see also, That mum and dad, Adam and Eve, Had an attitude, Or at least Eve did, She thought, When she gave birth, To her first baby, That this was the great child, That God had promised, I think she thought, She was the seed, Of the woman, She was the one, From whom the seed, Of the woman would come, She was the woman, And that Cain, Was that seed, The savior, But as it turned out, It turned out, So differently to that, She named him, Or they named him,
[11:39] Possession, Or gift, You can see, Where her thoughts were, Where their thoughts lie, This is God's answer, This little child, Cain, He comes, With, Such hope, But sadly, Cain, Was not like that, He didn't have, The attitude of God, The mind of God, At all, Eventually, His, He had to share, His parents, With a brother, Who was named Abel, But, I don't think, Adam and Eve, Thought much of him, Because they called him, Vanity, Or nothingness, Who do you think, Would have succeeded, By the names, Well Cain, Of course, Can you imagine,
[12:41] Every time you came by, Someone said, Oh here comes nothingness, Hey nothing, Where are you going today, And Abel was continually, Reminded, That he was thought, To be nothing, Perhaps you've been, Called useless, Just like your father, And your grandfather, Before you, Or your grandmother, You'll be no good, You'll get nowhere, You're nothing, Perhaps you've sat, On the bench, Of the team, And you've never, Actually played, But you were picked, But people point at you, You're nothing, You're only on the bench, But at least, You made the team, Perhaps, Perhaps, You feel, Nothing,
[13:42] Nothing, Today, As nothing, Nobody, Well God, Changes all that, We may be nothings, As far as the world, Is concerned, Nobody, Who cares about us, Who cares, Whether we live or die, God cares, God cares, God has, So shown his love, That he has sent his son, Jesus, Into the world, That whoever believes in him, Should not perish, But have everlasting life, That's how much God, Cares about us, That's how significant, We are, That God has provided, A remedy, For our greatest need, Our sin, And our eternal, Damnation, Which under sin,
[14:44] We earn, But he's come, And he's sent, A savior, Jesus, To lift us up, To forgive us, To change us, To bring to us, Eternal life, God cares, He couldn't care, Any greater than that, To send his son, To die for us, Have you come to him, Have you put your trust in him, Have you been, Changed by him, Lifted up, Yes, The world may count you, As nobodies, But you're now, Part of the family of God, You're princes and princesses, If you like, Of God, You belong to heaven, You belong to God, And we should live like that,
[15:49] That should be the attitude, Of our mind, Not in arrogance, Because it's not, It's not because of our, Worth, It's not because of what we've done, But, It's God's mercy, But we've been, Changed, And, We can hold our head high, Because we belong to God, And we're here to serve him, We're his servants, Is that part of your mindset, Is everything that you are, Your very life itself, Does it belong to God, Everything you have, Your car, Your television, Your house, Your everything, Your families, Everything, You've said to God, They're yours Lord, Do with them as you will, I'm your servant Lord,
[16:51] Do with me as you will, As you bid me come, I'll come, As you say, Go here, Go there, I'll go Lord, I'm yours, I'm yours, Have you come to that, Is that your attitude, That's what the Lord seeks from us, But it's something that we are to do, Although it's because he's worked in us, That we come to do that, But we need to mature as Christians, We need to make a submission to him, In our own hearts, And to have his mind, His way of thinking, As our way of thinking, His attitude, As our attitude, You see, Cain offered, Any old thing,
[17:52] Just the fruit, I'll just pick up a bit of fruit, And offer that, But Abel had a different heart attitude, I'm not sure that, It was the offering itself, In and of itself, That was more accepted, Than Cain's offering of fruit, It was really the attitude, Of their hearts, That counted, Cain had no heart for God, Cain was self-centered, Cain thought only of himself, But Abel, Had a right heart towards God, God had worked, Obviously in his heart, So that when Abel offered, He offered something from his heart, Is that how you're here, Today?
[18:51] Not because, Not because you've always come to church, You were brought up to do so, And maybe there's a, There's a slight fear that, If you don't come to church, Then something terrible will happen to you, And you're coming more out of superstition, Than, Because your heart is in it, Our heart, Is to be, In our worship, And God willing, We'll look at something, About that on, On Wednesday, God warned Cain, But look at the way, Cain responds, Am I my brother's keeper?
[19:39] He's cheeky to God, He's not submissive, Is that your attitude? We need to adjust our attitude, We need to have the same mind as Christ, You see, When we come with that kind of Cain type of response, And we start saying, Well, What do you think?
[20:05] God, Why are you doing this? What have I done wrong? It's not my fault. You see, Sin and Satan keeps cheering us on, And say, Yes, Why should you be held responsible?
[20:21] You have a right to be angry. If I were you, I'd pay them all back, Before the sun goes down. How dare they overlook you like that?
[20:33] What does God think he's doing? You're the first born, You're the most important one, And you've made your offerings, Why isn't that good enough for God? You see, That's the way sin comes, Satan comes, He fuels, A bad attitude, But that's not the way we should come.
[20:55] As we face temptation in 2020, And we will, Will we have a bad attitude towards it? That it fuels our anger, And fuels our rebellion?
[21:08] No. No. No. Paul says, As Christians, Let us have the attitude of Christ.
[21:19] You remember how Christ was treated. They called him names. They mocked him and scoffed at him.
[21:32] They spat at him. They hit him. And then they crucified him. He doesn't say from the cross, I'll get you for that. No. He submits.
[21:46] He bears it patiently. Because he has a work to do. To do the will of God. And that's where his mind is set.
[21:59] I must die for these people. That they be freed from the bondage of sin, And of Satan, And of death. That's why I've come.
[22:11] And he submits. Even to death. On the cross. Are we ready for that?
[22:21] If the Lord calls us to this or that, Are we ready to go? Because it's for him. It's something that we have to have our minds set to.
[22:37] As we approach this new year. Or will we have Cain's attitude?
[22:52] He had no remorse for what he did. And he came under God's curse. And so will we. If we rebel. And if we reject God.
[23:07] And in all this. Abel's death brings home to Adam and Eve.
[23:19] I'm sure. What God said. If you sin. Death will come. And Abel died.
[23:32] Murdered by his brother. Death. This is what sin brings. Death. If we continue in it.
[23:43] We shall die. Eternally die. What is a type and a shadow of eternal death.
[23:55] Is the curse. That's laid on Cain. The earth. The earth. Won't bring. Prosperity to him.
[24:07] He'll be shut off. Shut off. From God. Forever and forever. And forever.
[24:18] Forever. But Jesus Christ comes. That we might have life.
[24:29] Everlasting life. He will raise us up. So that body and soul. We will be with him forever.
[24:41] Because he died for us. Upon the cross. Well. Our time's gone. But may God grant to us.
[24:53] That in this. New year. We have. This. Attitude. That is of the mind of Christ.
[25:06] May God grant to us. His mercies. And his grace. Let us pray.