But we have the mind of Christ.

The Lord Has Come – One Mind, This Mind

(Philippians 2:1-5, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, October 27, 2019)

[1] So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, [2] complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. [3] Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. [4] Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. [5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ...

“Joy to the world. The Lord has come.” What do these words mean? Is there something to the coming of Jesus that is more than any of us have known up to this moment in our lives? Do you find any encouragement in your soul from the birth of the Lord? If so, what will you do with that good seed? Could it be that God has a plan that is bigger than any one person, or any particular place or time? Is it possible to have the singular mind of Christ Jesus in a group of people, not just for a moment, but forever?

(1) Do you find any encouragement in your soul from the birth of the Lord?

Any encouragement in Christ

Any comfort from the love of Jesus

Any participation in the Spirit of the Lord

Any affection or sympathy for him and his story

(2) What will you do with that good seed?

Toward a more completed apostolic joy

Being of the same mind

Having the same love

Being in full accord and of one mind

(3-5) Is it possible to have the singular mind of Christ in a group of people?

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit.

In humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Have this mind, the mind of Jesus, among yourselves. NKJV: “in you” The you is plural.

This one mind is yours in Christ Jesus. What is this “mind”?

1 Corinthians 2:16 ends with these words: “We have the mind of Christ.”

What a concept! To have the mind of another in you! That sounds dangerous, or good...

Closely related to being a true disciple of another. John 9:28 “And they reviled him, saying, 'You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.' ” Is that enough for us?

THE POINT: The Lord has come. There must be something more. Something far better.

I certainly hope there is something more than what the world had prior to the coming of Christ. Consider Genesis 1-5 in brief: “Good” and “Very Good”, “Not Good”: and “At Last”, “Good and Evil”, “Murder”, “He Died.” A world in desperate need...

Another alternative to have in you that would not be good: from Phil. 3:1–3

“[1] Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you. [2] Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. [3] For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.”

Paul the Pharisee knew that they did not see themselves as having the mind of a dog.

What mind did they think they had in them? God's through Moses. The mind of Moses.

The story of Moses (from Exodus):

Birthed in danger, raised in privilege, a deliverer want-to-be, suddenly a murderer, a fugitive wanderer, a curious investigator of a burning bush, a reluctant ambassador, a maligned and unappreciated miracle worker, a worshiper, a lawgiver, a frustrated leader of a difficult multitude, the builder of a tent house, a prophet...

Deuteronomy 18:15, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.”

The story of Jesus:

Birthed in danger, raised in obscurity, at 12 a worshiper in his Father's house, suddenly revealed as the beloved Son of God and long-awaited Christ, an astounding teacher and miracle worker, the Suffering Servant, betrayed by a close companion, abandoned by his friends, a king on the cross, the Passover Lamb, the resurrected Lord of a new world.

Which mind would you want in you? The mind of Moses or the mind of Jesus the Christ? But then it was not really the mind of Moses that persecutors and troublers of Christ and his church had, was it?

Applying these verses:

1. The impact of the Lord's coming cannot be limited to just you.

This is more than an individual experience that begins and ends with one person. It is an individual experience, but it must be more than that. The example of brother Lawrence. Read his “Seventh Letter”. A monk who was not very monkish encouraging the friend of a soldier...

2. The impact of the Lord's coming cannot be limited to doing religion the Old Testament way.

Paul knew that it was not safe to be as he once was – a persecutor of the church. He was confronted by the One whose Mind would be in him and in us.

3. The impact of the Lord's coming must be more than anything limited to one place or time.

This mind in us creates a most necessary new start and a shining light for the journey. It says to our souls, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit. In humility count others more significant than yourselves. Look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind, the mind of Jesus, among yourselves.”

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 119:105-112 – Light for the journey

New Testament Reading—Romans 7:13-25 – Beyond sin

Beyond Fear and Paralysis

Unmasking the Adversaries

(Mark 12:1-12, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, October 13, 2019)

[1] And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. [2] When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. [3] And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. [4] Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. [5] And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. [6] He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ [7] But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ [8] And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. [9] What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. [10] Have you not read this Scripture:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

[11] this was the Lord's doing,

and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

[12] And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.

As Jesus was headed to the cross, he told a story and quoted a passage from the Psalms that unmasked the spiritual leaders who were seeking to kill him. He was not trying to save himself from death, since he came into this world to be the Passover Lamb. Why then did he use a new parable and an ancient song included in the Bible to identify his adversaries? What was their reaction to his convicting words? How do these pivotal events of human history help us to follow the king who willingly died for our salvation?

A Story

A man planted a vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-5)

went into another country

When the season came

sent a servant

they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

Again he sent to them another servant

they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully.

And he sent another, and him they killed.

so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. (Matthew 5:11-12)

He had still one other, a beloved son.

Finally he sent him to them

‘They will respect my son.’

‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’

they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.

What will the owner of the vineyard do?

He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.

A Song

The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

this was the Lord's doing,

and it is marvelous in our eyes? (Psalm 118:22-23)

More from Psalm 118

Mark 11:9-10 and Psalm 118:25-26

Also Psalm 118:27-29 – Note that they don't go running to their Bibles to see their error

A Response

And they were seeking to arrest him

but feared the people,

for they perceived that he had told the parable against them

So they left him and went away.

Fear and Spiritual paralysis

The enemies of the gospel – understandable...

The Lord's disciples – Can this be right for us who know Revelation 21:1-4?

[1] Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. [2] And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. [4] He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

THE POINT: Jesus, the beloved Son of God, would be rejected and killed by the spiritual leaders of his day, and would thus be established as the cornerstone of a new resurrection temple.

Applying these verses:

1. The church must expect to be shamefully treated. The prophets were abused. The Lord himself was despised. On one hand, we should be shocked and offended by atrocities against us. Death is not normal, and neither is evil. On the other hand, we cannot be unaware of that which the Lord has so clearly revealed to us. He wants us to see the truth, and then to make good use of that which breaks our heart and his. What was God's word to Samuel regarding the desire of people to have a king? “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.” (1 Samuel 8:7) When we suffer for Christ, it is because of Christ that we suffer.

2. There is an answer coming for persecutors of Christ and his people. “Since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.” (2 Thessalonians 1:6–7) Nonetheless, “pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:43-48)

3. Enemies are unmasked for our sake, that we might be reassured that the Lord is in charge. Therefore, don't let world events or any personal mistreatment send you into fear and spiritual paralysis. The Lord is near. Turn to the beloved son.

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 119:89-96 – Forever

New Testament Reading—Romans 6:12-23 – Free from sin and slaves of God

Big Mistake: Forgetting that Jesus is in His New Testament House

The Lord of the Covenant is in His House

(Mark 11:12-33, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, October 6, 2019)

[12] On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. [13] And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. [14] And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

[15] And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. [16] And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. [17] And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” [18] And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. [19] And when evening came they went out of the city.

[20] As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. [21] And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” [22] And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. [23] Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. [24] Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. [25] And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

[27] And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, [28] and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” [29] Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. [30] Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” [31] And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ [32] But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. [33] So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Jesus is not surprised by the events of history, because he is, in fact, in charge of them. He ended the Old Covenant era and began the New Testament way of life. When he came to Jerusalem as the Passover Lamb, he deliberately provoked supposed religious authorities right in the temple in Jerusalem. Today, the church brings the gospel to the whole world. Though we would be as gentle as doves, our very existence is provocative to those who imagine themselves to be lords over God's creation. Nonetheless, no powers can change the fact that Jesus has a rightful claim not only on one building, but on the whole world. As we anticipate his return in judgment, how can we live, and especially, how can we pray, as those who know God and who obey the gospel of the Messiah?

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree – Isaiah 5:1-2 and structure of Mark 11 – Israel

He was hungry.

Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it.

Nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

“May no one ever eat fruit from you again.”

His disciples heard it.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

They came to Jerusalem.

He entered the temple

Began to drive out those who sold and those who bought

He overturned the tables of the money-changers & the seats of those who sold pigeons. He would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple.

My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations (Isaiah 56:3-8)

A den of robbers (Isaiah 56:9-12, Jeremiah 7:8-15)

The chief priests and the scribes heard

They were seeking a way to destroy him

They feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching.

Quite deliberate

The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree

In the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.

Peter remembered

Have faith in God.

Do not doubt in your heart

It will be done for him

Therefore

I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it

It will be yours.

But forgive (and obey)

Psalm 66:18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

The Authority of Jesus Challenged

And they came again to Jerusalem.

The chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him

By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority

I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you

Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.

If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’

But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people

We do not know.

Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

THE POINT: Jesus is the Lord of the Covenant and he is in His house.

Applying these verses:

1. Connect the common details of your life to the gigantic eternal purpose of God.

2. Pray for the church here and throughout the world, especially that we may “stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.” (Colossians 4:12)

3. The Medieval Church forgot that Jesus was in His House. Never forget that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that JESUS IS IN HIS HOUSE. – Reject cheap grace.

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 119:81-88 – Help me!

New Testament Reading—Romans 6:1-11 – Are we to continue in sin?