In His Image - 15: Striking the Mark

Attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” --Colossians 2:2-3

Opening Thought
Making the Commitment

We’ll often go through the experience of deciding we want to do something. It might be a weight loss program, or a career-enhancing certification, or running in the Boston Marathon (don’t worry, I haven’t done that either). So we look into all the requirements, we make the plans, and we think about all the good that will come out of accomplishing this goal.

Then, something very important happens – it’s time to actually start the program, to make the commitment to engage in the required discipline and stay at it for the duration of the program. Remember that feeling? Facing up to this challenge can be a real struggle. Determining to announce to all observers that you’re actually going to do this.

Committing to a life of Christlikeness takes that type of commitment. We can do a lot of looking and thinking about what’s involved, we can think about all the benefits that come if we “complete the program” – both now and in eternity. It’s just that actually-getting-started thing that causes us to pause.

That’s where we are in our study of Christlikeness. We need to hook into some very specific exercises and disciplines that need to be developed into life habits. So let’s go – let’s make the commitment to Christlikeness.


The Mind of Christ - Philippians 2

As we begin our study of exercising Christlikeness in our Christian walk, it will help to look at some of the key passages of Scripture that speak to our understanding of what is involved in seeking this high goal. Paul, in Philippians 2, "strikes the mark" of what Christlikeness means to the believer by stating it as having the "mind of Christ".

1. The Mind of Christ

• Philippians 2:5, "let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" -- continuously be thinking the same way Christ was thinking; that's why we've spent the last several study sessions looking at snapshots in Christ's life, to get a sense for how He was thinking in those various situations; as Paul explains here, that thought process centered on obedience, humility and servanthood
  
• 1 Cor 2:14-16, but we have the mind of Christ! After quoting from Isaiah, "who has known the mind of the Lord?", he Paul reminds us that in reality, we do!
  
• While most of Paul's letter to Philippi is heartfelt, conversational and spontaneous, this passage chapter 2 is more "polished", seemingly carefully thought out.
  
• Phil. 2 is is a major Biblical statement on Christology, in our being of one mind in Christ (2:1). Doctrinal study, Christology, Pneumatology, Ecclesiology, Eschatology and others -- these are valuable areas of study that you need to spend some time in.
  
• The bottom line is that all true Christians have (or ought to have) the mind of Christ. So, what is the mind of Christ? Paul points us in the right direction in this passage.

2. Choosing Not to Grasp

• Phil. 2:6
  
• Think of grasping as clinging or desperately hanging on to something. This could be like falling in a tree and desperately hanging on to a branch. Or perhaps, picture the child being left at summer camp and clinging tight to the parent, not wanting to be left alone.
  
• Compare John 1:1-18, the very Living Word of God, choosing to leave heaven's glory and dwell among us. Rather than clinging to His heavenly realm, Jesus Christ took on a mortal body and allowed mankind to observe His glory.
  

3. Emptied of Self

• Phil. 2:7
  
• This speaks of how Jesus set aside His independent use of His divine power.
  
• He emptied Himself of all His heavenly, divine reputation, left behind His ability to claim status or position -- almost as if He had no history at all. Imagine having everything about you that made you special or unique in your life taken away; think of the tragic life stories of black slaves brought to America and treated as having no previous life.
  
• When Jesus expressed His experience of this, it is not in the sense of playing a part, it is a very real experience.
  
• Think of what it would take for us to be empty of self, totally devoid of pride & selfishness
  

4. A Humble Servant

• This "humbling" is a different word than "emptying". Here simply bows low, expressing His intension to serve, demonstrating His relationship to mankind.
  
• Jesus chose to submit His will, His independent plans, to His Father. From early in His ministry when He expresses His keen sense of knowing His Father's plan and being totally dedicated to it, to just before the Cross, "not my will, but Yours be done."
  
• Note Matthew 20:28, "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Also, Mark 10:43-45.
  
• How does His being described as "humble" match up with some of the dramatic confrontations he created, such as cleansing the Temple? What other instances can you think of? (Think "Pharisees")

5. Obedience

• Perhaps this point helps to understand our question above. Jesus so clearly understood His obedience to His Father that it influenced His every action, it overrode cultural niceties and social prejudice.
  
• Luke 2:49, "I am here for my Father's business."
  
• John 8:29, "I always do the things that are pleasing to Him."
  
• John 12:49, "My Father has given Me... what to say."
  
• Luke 22:42, "not My will, but Thine be done."
  
• Overarching every minute of Jesus' life was His sense of Mission: He was here "on His Father's business". The business of delivering once-and-for-all Redemption for mankind. The business of demonstrating the reality of God fulfilling His promises.
  

6. Patience

• Patience... probably not one of our better traits in the 21st century. Having the ability to comfortably wait while something develops or arrives.
  
• Beginning at the Cana wedding, Jesus knew His hour had not come (John 2:4); also John 7:30; 8:20. The "hour", He tells us later, speaks of His sacrifice on the Cross -- a crucible of time through which all of human history is drawn.
  
• The time came when the hour was "come" or "at hand" -- Mark 14:41; John 12:23; 13:1; 17:1.
  
• "In due time..." -- Romans 5:6; 1 Timothy 2:6; 1 Peter 5:6 -- Please read through these passages and reflect on the patience of Christ.
  
• Note Hebrews 12:2, "for the joy set before Him, endured the Cross". This enduring had to include His entire life on earth as He anticipated His "hour".
  
• Jesus was able to work on the basis of a divinely clear knowledge of the End Times. Phil. 2:9-11 sums up the anticipation that Jesus Christ has in seeing the fulfillment of God's "plans for the ages", the culmination of His promises to Israel and the Church (separately!).

7. Paul's Response

• Context is always important in Bible study. Paul's response to this great Christological passage helps us to know what our response should be. If you follow the grammatical "hooks" starting in Phil. 2:12, "So then...", on to 3:1, "Finally...", he brings us to center of His heart in 3:7-14.
  
• From this great passage, we see the reality of the Christian walk. "Count all things to be loss... that I may gain Him... that I may know Him... I press on toward the goal."
  
• Beginning to demonstrate Christlikeness in our life requires this deep-heart commitment. We come to the place where this becomes our true passion. The other delights and drama of life become "environmental", just the trappings of this One Thing that truly matters -- Christlikeness.
  

A very special hymn --
May the Mind of Christ my Savior

May the mind of Christ my Savior, live in me from day to day;
by His love and power controlling all I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly in my heart from hour to hour;
so that all may see I triumph only through His power.

May the peace of God my Father rule my life in everything,
that I may be calm to comfort sick and sorrowing.

May the love of Jesus fill me as the waters fill the sea;
Him exalting, self abasing, this is victory.

May I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the foe,
looking only unto Jesus as I onward go.

May His beauty rest upon me, as I seek the lost to win;
and may they forget the channel, seeing only Him.


For Further Study...
1. Have you thought about how seeking to be like Christ requires discipline and exercise? Would that require some changes in how you approach Christlikeness?
2. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being perfect, how well do you “look like Christ”?
3. What would be three things you need to work on to make your “score” go up?

In His Image - 14: Our Great Savior

“Oh death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
-- 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

Opening Thought
Get out of Jail Free

In the game of Monopoly, you need that card. But in real life, the issue is so much deeper, all the way down into your heart. Separated from God by sin, no way to account and pay for your sin other than eternity in hell – you need the Savior! Every one of us, trapped in our sin, have no way to escape apart from the redeeming work of Christ on the Cross.

However, through the final excruciating week of Jesus’ life on earth, we see that He had so much more in store for us. His death, the gift of salvation, is not just a get out of jail card, not just “life insurance” to escape hell. It is the opening to an abundant life, here on earth, and through all eternity.

He wants to us to know Him, to understand His character, and to begin the process of reflecting that character in our lives – to be Christlike. Our studies thus far have been seeking to look into the life of Christ and observe how He expressed godliness in His interactions and ministry with people. In the next few studies, we will begin to study more directly the disciplines of Christlikeness, seeking to understand the processes required of each of us to follow in Christ’s steps. However, right now, let’s just reflect once more on the awesome beauty of the character of Christ as it is revealed in all its glory through these events leading to the Cross and beyond.



Study Notes

Why is this night so different?”

1. Pesach has always been the most popular of the Jewish holidays, celebrated more than the other than the other Jewish feasts

2. The Day of Atonement, yom kippur, the 10th day of the 7th month; recall images of the High Priest approaching the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies, the two scapegoats.

• Review Leviticus 16 to recall more of the special activities involved in this holy event


• The only national day declared by Jewish law, a day of national humiliation


• These activities were designed by God to demonstrate propitiation and expiation, the acts which clear a debt, remove all indication of guilt or liability.

3. The youngest child in each faithful Jewish home, during the Passover seder meal, would recite four questions -- the key one "Why is this night different from all other nights?"

4. When the disciples gathered with the Lord in the Upper Room, perhaps these questions burned in their mind in a way they could have never anticipated. Certainly no night had ever been so different. The foreboding awareness that something remarkable and terrible, from the hand of God no less, hung over the room just as that night 1450 years ago in Egypt.

5. Read Exodus 6:6-7 and look for four expressions of redemption

• Freedom


• Deliverance


• Redemption


• Release

6. The Last Supper the Lord had with His disciples followed the seder sequence of the Passover meal, which included 4 cups, the same sequence of redemptive expression (using a Harmony of the Gospels might help you separate these events)

• Luke 22:17, the First Cup, Cup of Blessing


• Luke 22:19, the Second Cup, breaking of Matzoh


• Luke 22:20, the Third Cup, of Redemption


• Matthew 26:27-30, the 4th Cup; the Hallel Psalms are traditionally sung and/or read (Psalms 115-118) at the conclusion of the Passover meal

7. Jesus the Messiah is our Pesach, our Redeemer, our sacrifice.

• Read 1 Corinthians 5:7


• The Hebrew “pasha” means “to pass over”; the English “paschal” is derived from this word, and is linked in early Christian tradition to the Greek word for “passion”, the work of Christ on the Cross.

Jesus' Ministry to Others in the Midst of Turmoil

Seeing Jesus in the Upper Room gives us one more glimpse before the Cross of His constant ministry to others as they face life’s struggles.

1. Jesus and Peter

• John 13:36-38; Luke 22:31-34 – look where this sad prediction has its roots: Peter still doesn’t fully see the reality of Christ’s mission, he hasn’t been hearing clearly


• Luke 22:54-62 – Before the cock crows…Graciously for Peter and for each of us in our own way, the story doesn’t end there. John 21:15ff shows the tender ministry of Jesus to Peter in pointing him to rich ministry as well as suffering for Christ’s sake.

2. Jesus and the Crowds

• Matthew 27:15-26


• For three years the crowds had been following Him, pressing in on Him, calling for Him to be King, seeking His healing and providing touch.


• Now, stirred up with fear, the masses have their say -- “Crucify Him!” Let’s be done with this confrontation, let us have our indulgence.Later on the Cross, however, Jesus looks out on those around Him and around the world, and speaks for them to the Father – “forgive them”.


• Later on the Cross, however, Jesus looks out on those around Him and around the world, and speaks for them to the Father – “forgive them”.

3. Jesus and the Repentant Thief

• Luke 23:39-43
  


• Concerned with His own suffering and loss? Resentful of being placed on a Cross just like these guilty men beside Him? No, still focused on His mission of Redemption, He faithfully communicates the message of grace one more time – “You shall be with Me in Paradise.”
  

4. Jesus and Mary Magdalene

• John 20:11-18

Mary Magdalene, a tender woman who has come out of a life of misery and sin, has her heart broken at the loss of her Lord and Savior. All she could do was bow at the tomb and weep. Then out of the clouds of her sorrow, she realizes the glory of God speaking to her – “Why are you weeping?”

• Turning the other way as she senses movement, she sees this man, remarkably familiar yet different. But then He speaks to her – “Mary!” And all she could reply was the truth of her relationship with her Savior -- Raboni!, which means “master teacher”.

5. Jesus and the Emmaus Travelers

Luke 24:13-32

Were not our hearts burning within us?





I once was lost...

Jesus has ministered to each of us in the same way He ministered to others while on the earth. Reaching out where we are, in the midst of our sin and selfishness, He draws us to Himself in grace.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
that saved wretch like me;
I once was lost but now am found,
was blind but now I see!


For further study...
1. As we begin to study how we can pursue Christlikeness, reflect on how the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) guides us to show the character of Christ.
2. Is it realistic for you to have each of these fruit? Some more than others? Is there one or more that seems “impossible”? Why? Anything you can do about it?
3. Is it your earnest desire to be like Christ?

In His Image - 13: The Ministering Servant

“Come to me all you that are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.”
--Matthew 11:28-29


Opening Thought
Giving In

There is an incredible amount of angst among people today. Everybody has their own agenda, personal goals and ambitions. Our culture seems to encourage us to be so focused on our own priorities that nothing else matters. The result? Road rage, going postal, domestic violence, workaholics, unbridled selfishness and lust… not a good picture.

In our walk with Christ, another perspective begins to take shape. Those world-agendas will persist, but we see a higher road – godliness and ministry. We are new creatures, pursuing Christlikeness, and the priority becomes serving – because that’s what Christ did.

Christ was above all a servant. He considered Himself a servant to every person He encountered. With each individual, I can imagine Him thinking, ‘What can I do to minister to this person’s needs?” He did have a prevailing mission, the Cross, and that did not change. But the mission was accomplished, not by prevailing upon people, but instead by serving them.
We will constantly react to people’s attempts to take position in front of us, but when we see them through Christ’s eyes, we will allow that to happen and then seek to serve them, meet their needs, point them to Christ.


Study Notes

1. In the Upper Room

• This personal time for the Apostles and their Lord Jesus is in all 4 gospels. If you have one, use a “Harmony of the Gospels” to read through all four accounts. (See an earlier article I wrote about using a Harmony.)
  •Matthew 26:17-30
  •Mark 14:21-26
  •Luke 22:7-38
  •John 13



• Preparations for the Last Supper
  o Peter & John are sent to find the chosen room – Lu 22:8
  - Jerusalem was always packed for these 8 days of the Passover feast, many visitors in from surrounding areas.
  - The disciples hadn’t even wanted to be in Jerusalem – now they’re supposed to go find
  - a place where they could eat
  - Imagine Peter just going along quietly with this plan!
  - A man carrying a pitcher! Women almost exclusively did that. Perhaps he was a servant, since he goes into the house. The owner, by not questioning the request, seems know Jesus, the Teacher. – Lu 22:10-11
  - They found everything just as He had said – Lu 22:13. The marvelous provisions of our Sovereign Lord! Nervous about going forward as instructed, but then in following their Lord’s instructions, they find everything as needed.
  o Misconceptions about the Last Supper
  - Was there just one long table, with all of the disciples on one side? Likely not, in spite of daVinci’s depiction.
  - Were only the 12 and Jesus attending? Other writings suggest that there were others who were the larger group of disciples also there.“Before the feast”, i.e. Passover, so this must be Thursday night – Jesus would die next day, less than 15 hours later.

2. A Lesson in Humility from the Master Servant

• The Servant washes the feet of His followers
  o Common enough that a servant of the house would wash feet of those attending dinner. But these were visitors were having their own separate feast, and everybody had been on their own for cleaning up – no humble servants around for this dinner… but Jesus.
  o Jesus often seemed to be just a step out of synch with those around Him – He Measures life with a different ruler, with His focus on the Father’s goals. His followers seemed never to be quite “in tune” with Him.
  o The disciples’ hearts struggled with pride and doubt – while they were believer in the work of the Savior, their feet still got dirty, they continued to be influenced by a sinful world.This humble act by Jesus was much more than a lesson in humility, it expressed the profound truth of His Redemption. Jesus demonstrated life at the heart of God’s character.


• Petty arguments
  o Peter says “no way” – he’s back to his regular approach of assuming he has the answer… although he does often seem to speak for the group, and he may be speaking the mind of several sitting around him.
  - Peter is so… (you provide the description – but remember, we’re right in there with him!)
  - More unthought words -- “do you understand what I’ve done?”
  - Compare Mark 8:32; 9:5
  - When Jesus washes his feet – it doesn’t mean he has to be baptized again
  o Sin needs to be dealt with -- What does this mean?
  - Look at 1 Jn 1:7, 9; 2:1-2
  o God recognizes and provides for the fact that as Redeemed believers, we will still struggle with sinful activity
  o What else can you learn from these verses?
  - After salvation, the believer needs only to confess, acknowledge sin, recognize it is already cared for in Christ’s substitutionary death – continually apply Christ’s atonement to one’s daily sin, maintain a transparent relationship with the Father – but the great undergirding truth is that once you receive Christ as your Savior, He is always and forever your Father
  o Then a couple of the disciples start up the “which is the greatest” discussion again
  - After observing Jesus washing their feet and hearing His interaction with Peter
  - Compare Mark 9:33-35;10:35— note Jesus’ ominous response, pointing to His death. Sinful man struggles with spiritual growth, gaining a truly godly mindset; these disciples loved God, were committed to Jesus as Lord, yet still they fall back into selfish human “issues” – we all have issues…


• Humility in the Believer’s life doesn’t just happen – it’s a discipline
  o Perhaps you have noticed: discipline and humility often show up in people at the same time – one brings the other with it
  o Reality check: we want others to be humble, but…
  o Where does True Humility come from?
  - an inner strength founded on Christ and Christlikeness
  - Compare 1 Peter 5:5-6, “humble yourselves”


• Humility is… (from Chuck Swindoll)
  o humility isn’t announced
  o humility is willing to receive
  o humility isn’t a sign of weakness
  - once “bathed”, always bathed
  - still needed “sponged” off
  - 1 John 1:9

For further study...

1. Do you understand humility like Jesus did? What can you do to understand and apply it better?
2. Are you willing like Peter to change your heart? What needs to change?
3. Look up the word “servant” in other places in the Gospels, see what more you can learn about being a servant like Christ was.