Think Like Jesus Part 1

Whenever you're facing something painful, who do you turn to for support? Maybe it's a family member, a close friend, or a pastor. Maybe you don't really have anyone in your life right now whom you can trust in that way. The wonderful news is that Jesus Himself is always right there, supporting and defending you. Today, Dr. Timothy Brown will encourage you with the truth that you can always run to Jesus, and He will embrace you, no matter the situation.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Welcome to Truth for Transformation with Dr. Timothy Brown. You're about to hear a message from God's Word filled with biblical wisdom, practical insights, and life-changing truths. A message designed to inspire your faith and give encouragement.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

He consoles us. And it actually kind of comes with the idea that not only does he come with consoling, but it comes with the idea of lifting, that he's holding us up, and he's whispering in our ear as he's doing so, and he's helping us to understand. You're okay. It's that support system by which the Lord Himself does because our faith is in him, because I have a relationship with him that allows him the freedom to come into my life and to control me. I've given him the path to do that.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Whenever you're facing something painful, who do you turn to for support? Maybe it's a family member, a close friend, or a pastor. Maybe you don't really have anyone in your life right now whom you can trust in that way. The wonderful news is that Jesus himself is always right there, supporting and defending you. Today, Dr. Timothy Brown will encourage you with the truth that you can always run to Jesus, and he will embrace you no matter the situation. Prepare your heart, open your mind, and get ready to embark on a journey of faith with Dr. Timothy Brown in the book of Philippians, chapter 2, as he begins his message, think like Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

Let me tell you a couple things about Plato that you may not know, just building towards an illustration. Okay. So Plato actually was invented around the 1920s. So it's been around a long time. And in its original purpose, it was designed to be a tool. And so what happened is people who burned coal in their house or had open fires in their house, like with the stove or whatever, would have a lot of soot on the wallpaper. And so this was created as a tool to put on the wall and to get the soot off. Now that'd be a hard job, wouldn't it? But that was what it was created to do. And so it was a very popular thing, and so people were using it all across the nation as a tool to get soot off your walls. That might be a secret for some of you, you may still want to do that. But in the creation of this, after a while, people stopped using coal and wood-burning stoves. And so what happened was the guy who created this for that purpose had warehouses filled with boxes of this, but nowhere to take them. And so the company was really on the process of closing their doors and going bankrupt. There was a teacher who discovered this stuff. And the teacher saw that it was pliable and it was soft and that was shapable. And so she took it into her classroom, thinking this was a great way to be able to introduce a way to get their kids busy and to be creative and to stimulate them. And so this was kind of the beginning process. And so once she started doing it, other teachers wanted it and just kind of grew across the nation. And this became later became known as Play-Doh. And so the teachers wanted to do something even better than what was there because originally it was created only white. So they started adding food color to it so it'd be colorful for the kids. Eventually the company did that, and so they already added the color to it, so when you buy it, it'd have different colors. They also, you may not know this, but they also invented the smell of Play-Doh. Now, some of you probably hate that smell. I kind of like the smell. I don't know why, I just do. But they invented the smell and it was unique to the company, and so it was patented. They also invented the taste. No, I'm just joking. Although, how many of us have actually put a little bit of that in our mouth when we were in elementary school, you know? So, yeah, so we all probably did along the way. But so this is a great example of what God wants to do. You see, God wants to take pliable things, pliable hearts, and he wants to shape them into whatever it is he so desires. And so what God is looking for is for hearts that are tender, hearts that are soft, hearts that are pliable, hearts that are shapable that he can change. And so that's what he wants to do in all of our lives. And as we allow the Lord to do his work in us, we have to understand that in order for us to let God do what he wants to do, we have to have the same mind of Christ. Because that's literally what Paul says in Philippians chapter 2. That's where we're going to be, starting in verse 1, going down through verse 11, Philippians chapter 2. And what Paul says is this he says, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. And so the whole point is that we have the mind of Christ. That we are thinking like him. So please listen to this principle. That if I'm not thinking like Jesus, then I won't live like Jesus. But when I begin thinking like Jesus, then I begin to live like Jesus. And so the reality is that what God does inside me in my heart will then become the behavior by which I live. You see, legalism kind of goes the opposite direction. Legalism starts on the outside and says, act like this so that you can look like this. God says, let's start with your heart, let's change who you are on the inside, and then the behavior follows it naturally. Just the way it works. And so God wants to, he wants to shape some things in our life. And so when I'm thinking like him, then it allows some things to happen naturally. By thinking like him, it allows me to know and be able to align myself to the very will of God. That what he wants to do, where he wants to go, becomes natural because I'm thinking like him. It also is sort of evidence of a brand new life in Christ. That as I'm thinking like him, I'm declaring, I'm showing a new life in Christ. In fact, Romans chapter 12, verse 2 says this about that very thing: to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And so there's this need to understand that God wants us to think like him. When I'm thinking like him, ultimately, here's what Paul's going to tell us in this passage that as I'm thinking like him, then I will become a person who has humility. But it comes after thinking like him. And so, here in a little bit, I'm going to come back to this. I want to share something with you about the clay, but I want us to understand that God wants to shape our thinking. And as he's shaping our thinking, we become people who are humble, where he's bringing humility. And as he's doing that, then we kind of have to ask the question: why is that so important? Why is that humility such an important part of what God wants to do in our lives? Well, do you remember what James says in James chapter 4, verse 5? That God resists the proud, but he what gives grace to the humble, right? And then Isaiah says that God dwells in the high and lofty, but he also dwells in the humble and contrite heart. You see, it's important because this is where God dwells. And if I want the hand of God on my life, and if I want to know the anointing of God on my life, and if I want to know the will of God in my life, then I have to live in the world of humility. And I promise you that what you are defining maybe as humility is far removed from what the Bible calls humility. Far removed. Because the American way of thinking in terms of humility is that humility is something that people walk on. That I'm that quiet person in the background that wants to stay, you know, just sort of passive there, and I don't want to be the loud person in the room, kind of thing. That's what we call humble. But that is not at all what humility is. Let me just say it this way. Humility is not a weak thing, it's a very strong thing. Amazingly strong. And so God begins to help us understand that by being humble people, we reflect the very character of Christ. Not only that, but we're also unlocking spiritual growth in our life because we have become people who are humble. And then ultimately it allows the gospel to be centered in my life. So humility really comes down to one word, and we're going to talk about this in just a little bit. It comes down to one word, and it's the word surrendered. Because really, that was what humility is. Humility isn't about what you do, it's about who you are. And humility is centered around surrender. So in the next few minutes, what Paul is going to give for us in this passage in Philippians chapter 2, verse 1 through verse 4, he's going to give for us really three things and how God develops humility in our life. Right? So he begins here in verse 1, and he says this. He says, Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, any comfort of love, any fellowship of the Spirit, any affection and mercy. So he begins with these if statements, four of them. If any consolation, if any comfort, if any fellowship, if any affection. There are four statements that are all if statements. And please understand that these are not, these are not commands at all. In fact, there are no commands in the first verse. There's no verbs there. It's literally designed to help us to remember something. In fact, the word if there actually can be translated in a way to say, in view of this fact, this. Talking about suffering. And he offers grace in that. And that's literally where Paul begins here in this passage. So he begins by telling us, therefore, therefore what? Verse 29 of chapter 1, for to you it has been granted, there's the key word, the grace, it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake. Having the same conflict which you saw in me now here in me, Paul's in prison. And Paul is sharing his life out of prison. And so in the process of sharing his life out of prison, he's declaring the fact that God takes the suffering of our life and he does something very, very amazing with it.

SPEAKER_00 12:10

You've been listening to Pastor Timothy Brown. We'll be right back with the message. But first, we'd like to share some exciting news with you. We're releasing Dr. Timothy's new book called Go After Jesus. This book is a fresh approach to discipleship and focuses on your identity in Christ as the launching pad for Christian growth. In Go After Jesus, Pastor Timothy paints the picture of the six identities for every follower of Christ. You are a speaker, a disciple, a friend, a fisherman, a warrior, and a lover. We're currently offering two free chapters of this book as a digital download. To get your free chapters, go to Dr. Timothy's website at drtimothybrown.org. Now let's get back to the rest of the message with Pastor Timothy.

SPEAKER_01 12:55

And so he begins by telling us this is the groundwork, this is the place where God begins the process of developing, shaping humility in us. And he does it with four things, these four if statements. First one is this if there is any consolation, here he's helping us to understand that we are to remember our position in Christ. Remember, he says, any consolation in Christ. So he's referencing this position of where we are with Christ. And so in this relationship that we have, God comes along in the middle of our suffering and he brings consoling. He consoles us. And it actually kind of comes with the idea that not only does he come consoling, but he comes with the idea of lifting, that he's holding us up and he's whispering in our ear as he's doing so, and he's helping us to understand you're okay. It's that support system by which the Lord Himself does. Because our faith is in him, because I have a relationship with him that allows him the freedom to come into my life and to console me. I've given him the path to do that. That's by faith in him. And so he begins by saying that because we are in Christ and because of my position, I have a relationship with him and he is consoling. But then he goes on to say, not only in consoling, but also he says, remember the promises. He says, by the comfort of love, the reassurance that comes by the very promises. So while we're facing difficult times, while we're in the middle of suffering, while we're in the middle of difficulty, whatever it is, God is coming along and He's giving us promises that we can kind of reach towards. Something for tomorrow. You know, I was a chaplain for eight years with the police department down in Hickory. And what we developed over time was a team of guys, and our sole purpose was to go into places where there was suicide. And so our team would go into some pretty difficult places. In every situation, the one thing that always kind of was a question mark in my head was what's happening in a person that they can't see the very next hour or the very next moment. That this is so big and so loud that I can't go another moment. What a sad place. And what God is doing is God says, hey, there is a sunrise, there is a purpose, there is a tomorrow, there is something else, there's more than what you're facing today. That mountain that you can't see beyond, there's something beyond that. And so that's what he's declaring. He's declaring these great promises for us to help us understand that this suffering is the only thing, and it's not the end of the day. God will get us through. And then he goes on to say, not only comfort of love, this declares his love for us and his relationship around us, but it also, he says, in fellowship of the spirit. And so here he's giving to us this partnership. That's what it means. That the spirit, the fellowship, that's the partnership, the koinonia. He's coming alongside and he's bringing a support system, power. And the word here doesn't necessarily only mean a partnership, but it actually carries for it a greater meaning, and the greater meaning is dynamic partnership, meaning that there is an active element that he's not just simply walking alongside me and just kind of encouraging me, but rather he's involved and he's active and he's bringing power in that. So I begin to see the very hand of the Holy Spirit, the very hand of God and the power that's there. And then he goes on to say one more thing: to remember, he says, the affection and the mercy, to remember the very passion of God, the affection, the mercy. You know what affection means, what it really means in the Greek? It means gutfelt. Now, let me help you understand gutfelt. Because this is exactly what this word means. Gut felt. You know that feeling that you get when you leave a certain restaurant, usually Mexican. And you go, oh, you know what I'm talking about, right? Now don't get all wigged out because I'm doing this, y'all. You do it too. In the Greek, they used feelings like that, emotions like that, and that would become the way they would sort of describe something. And so what he's saying is that he's talking about affection, he's going, oh, that feeling, oh, that's how God feels. It's so ingrained in him that the affection that he has comes from deep within to us. That's his passion for us. It's not just external, but rather it's internal and it's deep inside him, and this is his love for us. And so this passage helps us understand that our God meets us in the middle of suffering. I love this passage in 2 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 3, and it says this that the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us, because he does, he comforts us. So here's what he's saying. Therefore, because of your suffering, you will experience this. You will experience his presence, you will experience his promises, you will experience his passion. These are the realities of what it is to be a believer and facing trials, facing suffering, facing difficulties. These are the very things that you will experience. This becomes the reality of our lives. And it ought to be something that we can look at and we go, you know what? I can identify with that. I know what that is. I know when I felt the very passion of God pouring out on me that I knew He loved me. I knew He was bringing favor in my life, I knew that He was He was trying to help me and minister me and care for me and get me out of where I was. I knew it. And it became part of the reality of my everyday life. And what that does is it changes our perspective. And here's what it looks like. Now, forgive me if this is not totally theologically correct. Somebody probably beat me up for this very illustration, but it works for me. And it's like this that I find myself in this trial, this suffering, this difficulty, and I'm in the middle of it, not knowing where to go left or right or up or down or whatever. And God comes along in his ministering and caring way and his loving, passionate way, and he picks me up and he holds me up over what I was just in the middle of. And he helps me to understand that he's the answer. He's the answer. Now, what Philippians chapter 2, verse 1 through verse 4, and really the whole part down to verse 11, is to help us understand that God is a God who loves humility and he wants to develop humility, which is opposite of pride. Now, sometimes we think of pride as like, you know, like look at me kind of pride, and that's not that's not good either. But that's really not the definition of which he's referring to. He's referring to another definition, and the definition of pride is I got this, I don't need you. I'm in control, I've got the strength, I've got the knowledge, I've got the wisdom, I've got whatever. I can handle this. And God's simply saying, No, you don't. You need me. And so God is coming in and he's beginning to surround us with all these things to help us understand that he is the answer, and when he lifts us up, we finally go, Aha. Wow. Why was I so dependent on me when he is the answer? So, really, he wants us to move away from the me and turn to he, and he becomes the answer for everything for me. That's what it is to be humble, that's what it is to find humility. It is the surrendering to him and away from me. The second way he develops it is not just simply through the suffering, but he also develops it through community. Community, us, community. Notice what he says in verse 2. He says, Fulfill my joy by being like minded, having the same love, being of One accord and one mind. Now he's talking to us. Right? And here's what he's saying: that when you first of all surrender to God and you understand He's the very answer to all your trials and needs and suffering, then as a result of that, the very next thing that begins to happen is I become like-minded with my brothers. We become like-minded. The word like-minded there actually carries for the idea of alignment. Alignment. You know, when some things get out of line, it messes everything up. When you have a hundred little gears inside of a clock, and you just take just one, just one out of a hundred. And it gets out of sync. Out of alignment. It messes the entire clock up, right? And so many other things are like that in life. Just the smallest thing out of sync can mess everything up. And what he's saying is that we are to be like-minded, we are to be aligned. In fact, the word actually carries for it a word picture of shared gospel orientation. Shared gospel orientation. That the gospel is what we are oriented towards.

SPEAKER_00 23:17

You've been listening to Truth for Transformation with Dr. Timothy Brown. We hope that this program is a blessing to you as you follow Jesus in a world that is lost in sin. We haven't been left alone in this world without a guide because we have the Word of God to give us the answers for how to navigate the fallen world. Dr. Timothy has spent years studying God's Word, and this program is one of the ways that we are able to pass that wisdom along to anyone who has ears to hear. If you would like to learn more about the Ministry of Truth for Transformation, you can give us a call at 828-684-6780. Again, that phone number is 828-684-6780. You can also visit us online at drtimothybrown.org where you'll be able to find more teachings from Dr. Timothy on every book of the Bible. While you're there, you will also find our gift tab. Our ministry wouldn't be possible without the generosity of our audience. So if you feel led to support the mission of Truth for Transformation, you can do so at that tab. Finally, feel free to find us on social media by searching for Dr. Timothy Brown Ministries on your favorite platforms and drop a comment to let us know where you're joining us from. It's amazing to see how God's word is being spread through social media, even in these dark times. Well, we hope you'll join us again for another edition of Truth for Transformation.