Pride on SermonAudio

Part 2 of "The Mind of Christ" picks up where Philippians 2:1-4 left off and moves to the model itself: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (2:5-6). Robert Rohlin reviews the four cords that bind believers together - consolation, comfort, communion, and compassion - then shows why church fights are almost never about doctrine. They are about me. He works through the Greek behind "esteem others better than themselves," explains why your outlook determines your outcome, and uses a first driving lesson, a hijacked airliner in the news, and John 13's basin and towel to make the point stick. The heart of the message is a Savior secure enough to serve: Jesus knew exactly who He was, and that is precisely why He picked up the towel. It ends at the cross, where Robert asks a question worth sitting with - how can anyone be arrogant standing beside the cross? Three things to carry home: remember what you have in Christ, regard others as more important than yourself, and resemble the Savior who did not grasp. If pride is quietly winning somewhere in your life, this message hands you a cure you can start using Monday morning.

What is the Christian life all about? We began looking last week at a basic primer on the title "Christ." We saw how Jesus interpreted it to mean not only the reign and triumph, the defeat of death itself, but also the rejection, the suffering, the death of the Lord's Chosen One. The Christian life is fundamentally about Jesus Christ. It's about glorifying Him, following Him, worshiping Him, beholding Him, and even coming to resemble Him. We don't just talk about how great He is; we actually become like Him, both in His humiliation and in His exaltation. We too are anointed with the same Spirit who anointed Him, and thus we can and must follow Him shamelessly. Jesus points out some dynamics of what a life that's all about Him will look like. Some people will say "I'm all about the Broncos" or "I'm all about saving money" or "I'm all about fast cars." But the Christian is all about Christ. We literally don't care about our lives anymore, because we care so much about Him. He has driven out all other considerations, including the biological imperative of self-preservation. This is not to say that the typical Christian starves to death while reading the Bible greedily. That's not the idea. Rather, the typical Christian has given up the things he would naturally like to be doing, and is instead doing the things that Jesus wants him to do. Jesus puts that in His typical stark terms, revealing just how high the stakes are — and just how magnificent the reward is. What I hope to show you this morning is that the only way to follow Jesus is to shamelessly commit ourselves and the whole world into His keeping as we anticipate His glorious return.

This sermon addresses the destructive nature of division within the church, identifying pride and the works of the flesh as the primary root causes. It distinguishes between necessary separation from false doctrine and the sinful strife that arises from human ego and selfishness, illustrating these concepts through historical examples and the context of the Corinthian church. The message emphasizes that true unity is only possible when believers are centered on the cross of Christ, which humbles pride, dethrones self-importance, and establishes equality among believers. By focusing on the sufficiency of Christ rather than human leaders or personal ambitions, the congregation is called to restore harmony and reflect the peaceable wisdom of God.

The sermon explores Paul's pastoral role as a spiritual father in 1 Corinthians 4, emphasizing that his admonitions are rooted in love and a desire for genuine transformation rather than mere shame. It contrasts the superficiality of religious talk with the power of the Holy Spirit, arguing that true Christianity is evidenced by changed lives and obedience to the gospel. The preacher urges the congregation to move beyond intellectual assent or fleeting guilt, calling them to be active doers of the Word who bear spiritual fruit. By highlighting the necessity of repetition and the discipline of a loving father, the message challenges listeners to examine their response to preaching, ensuring that the gospel permeates their daily conduct and character.

This sermon explores the narrative of Jacob in Genesis, highlighting his lifelong pattern of scheming and striving against God's will before his transformative encounter at Peniel. The speaker connects this story to the broader biblical theme of humility, arguing that God often weakens believers to make them strong in His power rather than their own. By identifying the 'man' who wrestled with Jacob as the pre-incarnate Christ, the message reveals the Trinity's presence throughout the Old Testament and points to Jesus as the ultimate ladder connecting heaven and earth. The tone is pastoral and convicting, urging the audience to cease striving in their own strength and instead yield to God's sovereign grace. Ultimately, the sermon presents the gospel as God's ability to defeat human pride and transform lives through weakness, leading to true victory and newness of life in Christ.

The sermon presents a prophetic analysis of the United States as a modern-day Babylon, drawing parallels between the biblical captivity of Judah and the current geopolitical and moral state of America. It argues that the American Empire, led by a figure identified as the Antichrist, is engaging in unjust wars and enabling genocide, particularly in Gaza and Iran, which aligns with the descriptions of the 'daughter of Babylon' in Revelation and Jeremiah. The speaker contends that these actions are part of a divine plan to bring about global tribulation and the eventual destruction of the empire, citing specific political events and military actions as evidence of this trajectory. The message calls for spiritual discernment, urging believers to recognize the evil of these global powers and to look forward to the return of Christ and the establishment of the heavenly Zion. The tone is urgent and convicting, challenging Christians to reject nationalistic pride and align themselves with biblical truth in the face of impending judgment.

This sermon examines the immediate aftermath of the Fall in Genesis 3, focusing on how Adam and Eve compounded their original sin through shame, fear, and excuse-making. The speaker distinguishes between mere shame, which leads to concealment and avoidance, and godly sorrow, which produces genuine repentance and confession. By contrasting the couple's defensive responses with the biblical call for honest acknowledgment of fault, the message highlights that hiding sin only allows it to fester and damage relationships. The tone is pastoral and convicting, urging the congregation to reject prideful excuses and instead embrace confession and the judgment of charity. This instruction culminates in an appeal for the church to approach the Lord's Table with clear consciences, fostering a unified and flourishing community through honest reconciliation.

This sermon explores the biblical definition of wisdom as the skill to live rightly in God's world, distinguishing it from mere intelligence or worldly success. Drawing from the life of King Solomon in 1 Kings, the message argues that true wisdom begins with worship, which recognizes God as Creator and humanity as creatures, a posture ultimately fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. The teaching emphasizes that humility is essential for receiving wisdom, as pride prevents the heart from acknowledging its need for divine guidance. By connecting Solomon's request for an understanding heart with Paul's declaration in 1 Corinthians that Christ is the wisdom of God, the sermon presents the Gospel as the ultimate source of skillful living. The tone is instructional and pastoral, urging listeners to abandon self-sufficiency and rely on God's Word and the Holy Spirit to cultivate a life that honors God.