9 April 2017
I. INTRODUCTION
-- turn
in Bibles to Philippians 2:1-8
1. Therefore if you have any encouragement from
being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing
in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by
being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value
others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to
the interests of the others.
5
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to
be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the
very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in
appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even
death on a cross!
--
whenever an adult is around a kid for any length of time, they will invariably
ask the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” -- that’s a good
question -- something that all of us have had to answer at some point
-- what
is it that you want to be? -- who is it that you want to become? -- a few years
ago, students at a British university had raised that very question -- different
answers were given -- some said they wanted to be a champion athlete -- others,
influential politicians -- still others wanted to be noted scholars and
professionals -- one student said something that caused thoughtful silence --
“I want to be a saint”
-- as
Christians, this should be the highest priority in life -- this should be the
vocation to which we all seek to obtain -- to be a saint is to be like Jesus --
and, as Paul said in Romans 8:29, the overarching purpose of God the Father is
to make us like His Son
-- of
course, we know that we will become conformed to Christ and as like Him as we
can be in the world to come -- but the call to be a saint -- the call to live
for Christ -- is not to just wait passively for the transformation at the end of
our lives but to actively live out our faith in Christ-like obedience now -- to
take on the very mind and attitude of Christ and to live our lives out of that
position -- seeking to become “Christlike in every area of our lives”4
-- today
is Palm Sunday -- start of Holy Week -- today was the day Jesus rode
triumphantly into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to the roar of the crowd
shouting, “Hosanna, Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord --
Hosanna in the Highest”
-- the
events of Holy Week are the ultimate expression of the incarnation as we see
the fulfillment of Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth displayed to us in such a
dramatic way
-- from
His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday -- the washing of the
disciples’ feet in the upper room -- the inauguration of Holy Communion as
Christ proclaimed a new covenant built on the foundation of His body and blood --
the Garden of Gethsemane and His prayerful spiritual struggle that left Him
sweating drops of blood -- His arrest and trial before the Jews and the
Gentiles -- His crucifixion on Good Friday -- and finally, the event all
creation had longed for, the resurrection of Jesus on Easter followed by His
ascension fifty days later
-- it is
in these events that we see captured for us the meaning and the purpose of
Christ -- the reasons for which He came -- and the implication for our very own
lives -- a pattern for us to follow as we seek to truly become saints -- not in
word alone -- but in deed and in action
II. Scripture Lesson (Philippians 2:1-8)
-- this
evening we are going to turn to a passage that addresses the implications of
the incarnation and its meaning for us -- we find it here in the second chapter
of the Book of Philippians
-- just
to give you a little background and context for this passage, the church at
Philippi was in the midst of a season of suffering and persecution -- it was a
time of struggle for this church -- and we read here how spiritual pride in the
face of this suffering was causing division and disunity
-- these
verses are thought to be from an early hymn or confession or creed of the
church -- and Paul, writing from a Roman prison, uses them to remind the
Philippians of the proper way to respond to such difficulties -- not through
pride -- not through self-exaltation or self-preservation -- but by adopting
the very mind and attitude of Christ -- who showed us through His life the way
we were to live
-- one
thing to note here is that this passage does not imply that the path to heaven
is always paved with suffering and persecution -- but it does remind us that
our obedience and faithfulness to God stands in strict opposition to the way of
this world -- as we put aside our rights and freedoms for the sake of the
gospel, the world tends to respond negatively, as it did with Jesus -- it is
then we experience sufferings and persecutions because of our faith
--
Paul’s point here is that suffering for doing right is not meaningless, but
brings glory to God by demonstrating to the world the heart and mission of God
through our lives and response to suffering -- if we suffer, then our suffering
must be endured with the same mind and attitude of Jesus as He suffered for us
through the cross
-- let’s
look now at this passage in more detail
-- verse
1
1. Therefore if you have any encouragement from
being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing
in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by
being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value
others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to
the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the
same mindset as Christ Jesus
-- I
opened this message with the question, “Who do you want to be? -- Who is that
you want to become?” -- as this chapter opens, Paul speaks into the persecution
and suffering, the pride and division and disunity within this body of
believers and he answers that question for them -- “This, then, is who you
should be”
-- if
you are identifying with Christ -- if you call yourself a Christian -- if you
have any encouragement from being united with Him -- any comfort from His love
-- any fellowship with His Spirit -- any tenderness or compassion -- then you
should live your life like-minded -- having the same love as Christ and
expressing that love one to another -- being united through His presence --
being one in spirit and purpose -- and doing nothing out of selfish ambition or
vain conceit, but humbling yourself in the spirit of Christ in order to look to
the interests of others above your own
-- verse
5 sums up Paul’s thoughts on who we should be -- our attitude -- our mind -- should
be the same as Christ Jesus -- when the world looks at us, they should see Him
-- when the world looks at us, they should see us responding to them with His
love, being His hands and feet -- do this, Paul urges -- be like Christ
-- and
then he goes on to tell us just what Christ did so that we might become like
Him
-- verse
6
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not
consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather,
he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in
human likeness.
-- these verses are generally
recognized as the first proclamation of Christology in the Bible -- it is here,
in these verses, that Paul gives us our first glimpse into the incarnation of
Christ and the meaning of the cross and the resurrection
-- he
begins by telling us that Jesus was -- in very nature or form -- God
-- before
the incarnation -- before the creation and the foundation of the world -- Jesus
was -- He was God -- co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit -- of one
substance and one being
-- when
Paul uses the word “nature” or “form” here, he is referring to the attributes
that make God specifically God -- His divine characteristics -- His glory
revealed -- Paul makes it clear here that Jesus was not a lesser god nor a
created being, but was God Himself from the very beginning
-- even
so, Jesus, being God, did not consider equality with God something to be
grasped -- here Paul is referring to the status and privileges that follow from
being God -- His divine authority -- His eternal rights
-- there
are two ways we can understand that concept of something to be grasped --
first, it can mean that Jesus did not have to strive for equality with God,
because it was something He already possessed -- He was God, and so enjoyed the
status and privileges and authority as such -- second, it can mean that Jesus
did not feel He had to forcibly retain it -- to hold onto it at all costs -- instead,
rather than holding tightly to that which He rightfully possessed, Jesus chose
to lay it aside for the sake of men
-- He
made Himself nothing -- or, as other translations put it -- He emptied Himself
-- not of His divinity, because He remained fully God -- but He emptied Himself
of the authority and status and privileges of God -- He willingly humbled
Himself and became less, taking on the very nature of a servant or slave, to
become one of us
-- to
reconcile us to the Father, Jesus chose to empty Himself by taking human form
-- the Creator becoming the creation -- He chose to become one of us so that He
might share in our weaknesses and fulfill the law where we could not
-- verse
8
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he
humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
-- I
read an account of the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to the United States back in
2007, her last visit to America, that talked about what accompanies a royal
visit -- just for a visit of less than one week, she carried with her a
wardrobe loaded with dresses and other clothes for any occasion -- more hats
than you could shake a stick at -- and boxes filled with jewelry
-- she
even carried her own food -- and traveled with her personal bodyguard,
assistants, doctors, and other attendants -- it costs millions for her to make
a visit in keeping with her royal status -- such is the way of kings and queens
-- but not our King
-- “When
Jesus comes to this earth, He comes with nothing -- He doesn't bring all the paraphernalia
of deity with Him -- He doesn't bring the glory -- He doesn't bring the shekinah”
-- “When
Paul says that Christ was “found in appearance as a man,” he means that if you
had looked at Jesus, you would not have thought, “There is a superman -- there
stands God,” but rather, “There is a normal-looking man.”2 -- as
Isaiah said in Isaiah 53:2, there was nothing remarkable about Him -- nothing
in His appearance that would attract us -- nothing that would make us desire
Him -- “He was born into a family as a baby, grew to maturity as we all do, and
in every other observable way was completely human.”2
-- no,
Jesus did not come to this earth as royalty -- He came as the lowest of the low
-- born in a stable and laid in a manger -- raised by poor parents in a poor
neighborhood -- even after He begins His ministry, He doesn’t take up the robes
and the symbols of power as the chief priests do -- no, instead you see Jesus
ministering in the streets and in the places where good people don’t go -- you
see the Lord of Lords taking off His cloak, and wrapping Himself with a towel,
and washing the feet of His disciples -- even the disciple who He knew was
going to betray Him
-- He
did this, because He didn’t think deity was something to be grasped at because
it was already His -- the King has descended -- literally and figuratively --
and with each step -- each rung on the ladder -- Jesus goes a little lower --
all the way to death -- all the way to Hades
-- and
Paul points at Him -- the one who hung on the cross -- the one who died the
most despicable death of all -- and says, “Be like Him -- your attitude -- your
mind -- your actions -- your behavior -- should be like Him” -- this is
Christian maturity -- this is who you should long to be3
-- what
is it that Paul is pointing us toward when he tells us that? -- what are the
two attributes of Christ that we see portrayed so clearly in His life that we
should strive for in our own? -- humility and obedience
-- Jesus’
life was characterized by humility -- He humbled Himself even to the point of
taking on the place of the slave, the lowest possible human status, even
accepting the death prescribed for slaves and criminals
-- what
does humility look like in the life of a Christian? -- how do we imitate the
incarnation in our lives? -- simple -- you have to get low
-- C.S. Lewis once wrote, “If you
want to get the hang of the incarnation, just imagine how you’d feel if you
woke up one morning to discover you had turned into a garden slug.”5
--
humility is a lessening of ourselves so that Christ and others might be exalted
-- as John the Baptist said, “I must decrease so He can increase” -- that is
how Jesus lived His life here on earth -- “He did not desire to dominate men
but only to serve them; he did not desire his own way but only God's way; he
did not desire to exalt himself but only to renounce all his glory for the sake
of men.” 1 -- in all things and in all ways, Christ put the Father
first
--
humility is hard for us -- it was hard for the Philippians -- they had a pride
issue which was causing strife and contention in the church -- pride is the
opposite of humility -- pride insists on having our own way -- on enjoying all
the things we believe are our rights -- pride is self-exaltation, but that is
not the way of the cross
-- as
Andrew Murray put it: “Humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is,
from the very nature of things, the first duty and the highest virtue of man.
It is the root of every virtue. And so pride, or the loss of this humility, is
the root of every sin and evil.” Humility, p. 10.
-- the
Bible tells us that God opposes the proud -- pride leads to even more and even
greater sins -- and, so Paul insists in these verses that we follow the very
nature and mind of Christ and humble ourselves as He did -- to willingly let go
of our rights and our wants and our desires just as Christ emptied Himself of
His divine rights -- renouncing yourself for the sake of others so that we might
love and serve others as Jesus did
--
humility is not thinking less of yourself -- humility is simply not thinking of
yourself at all
-- “the
follower of Christ must think always, not of himself but of others, not of his
own glory but of the glory of God.”1
-- the
second attribute of Jesus we see lauded in this passage is that of obedience --
of faithfulness to the commands and doctrines of God
-- Jesus
always did what the Father commanded -- He said that He only did what the
Father told Him to do -- He was obedient in every way, even to death -- even
death on a cross
-- this
same obedience is demanded of us -- in John 14:15, Jesus said, “if you love Me,
obey My commands” -- obedience is the child of faithfulness -- obedience speaks
to what we truly believe
-- it is
one thing to say we are Christians -- to claim the name of Christ -- to even
come to church on Sundays and study our Bibles during the week -- but the truth
of what we believe is dependent on what we do, not what we say
-- “Jesus
was faithful to the point of being rejected by the powers of the world. It was
his obedience to God that got him in trouble. His steadfastness in the face of
temptation—temptation made real because of his full humanity—was the reason for
his torture. -- He learned what the consequences of that faithfulness are when
subjected to the powers of unfaithful human beings [and remained obedient
none-the-less]”6
-- the
obedience we are called to is obedience like that of Jesus -- resolute and
uncompromising -- obedience and faithfulness even in the face of confrontation
and human power -- it was the obedience of Jesus that led to the cross of
Calvary
-- we
have two choices before us -- to follow the way of Christ or the way of the
world -- we can be obedient to God or to this world we live in -- but we cannot
do both
-- to be
obedient to God means to stand for Him with our very lives -- to love as He
loves -- to do as He does -- to follow where He leads -- regardless of the cost
-- even if that cost includes suffering and persecution or even death
-- to
follow the world and to be obedient to the flesh and its desires is a rejection
of Christ and of His word
--
“humility, obedience, and self-renunciation were the supreme characteristics of
the life of Jesus, [and] they must also be the hall-marks of the Christian.
Selfishness, self-seeking and self-display destroy our likeness to Christ and
our fellowship with each other.”1
-- in
this passage, “Paul is pleading with the Philippians to live in harmony, to lay
aside their discords, to shed their personal ambitions and their pride and
their desire for prominence and prestige, and to have in their hearts that
humble, selfless desire to serve, which was the essence of the life of Christ.”
1
-- but
how do we do this? -- Paul’s “final and unanswerable appeal is to point to the
example of Jesus Christ.”1
-- we cannot do this on our own --
as A.B. Simpson points out, Christ is more than a patter for us -- more than a
bright and glorious example -- He becomes the power to reproduce that patter
and to transfer to our lives that example
-- we are not to just imitate Christ
or have a mind like Him -- we are to have the same mind in us as that of Christ
Jesus -- in other words, it is Christ Himself living within us who gives us the
power to live out this life to which we are called
-- “This
is the mystery of the gospel. This is the secret of the Lord. This is the power
that sanctifies, that fills, that keeps the consecrated heart. This is the only
way that we can be like Christ. . . .”
III. CLOSING
-- A
former missionary told the story of two rugged, powerful mountain goats who met
on a narrow pathway joining two mountain ridges -- on one side was a chasm
1,000 feet deep; on the other, a steep cliff rising straight up -- the trail
was so narrow there was no room to turn around, and the goats could not back up
without falling -- What would they do?
-- Finally,
instead of fighting for the right to pass, one of the goats knelt down and made
himself as flat as possible. The other goat then walked over him, and they both
proceeded safely.
-- In a
sense, this is what Jesus Christ did for us when He left heaven's glory and
came to this earth to die for our sins -- He saw us trapped between our sin and
God's righteousness with no way to help ourselves -- He humbled Himself by
giving up His right to use His divine power. He came in the likeness of men and
took the form of a servant (Phil.
2:5-8). Then, by dying for sinful mankind, He let us "walk over
Him" so that we could experience forgiveness and receive eternal life. —D
C Egner
-- the cross of Calvary is the way
to faith, humility, and obedience -- it is the reason for which Christ came --
because we could not be reconciled to the Father through our own efforts,
Christ came for us -- He emptied Himself and made Himself nothing -- He become
one of us, taking on the very nature of a servant -- being found in appearance
as a man -- obedient to death on a cross -- so that we could receive salvation
and eternal life through Him
-- the cross ushers us into the life
of Christ -- and through His power within, we are able to live out the life and
the example He gave us
-- Paul
urges us here to let our attitude and our mind be the same as that of Christ
Jesus -- to be like Him through His power within
-- so, let
us leave here with that goal and that desire as we start this Holy Week
together
-- let
us pray
---------------------------------------
1 William Barclay’s Daily Study Bible [http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/philippians-2.html#1]
2 Steven J. Cole
3 Derek Thomas, “Growing
Down to Grow Up,” Series: 12 Keys to Spiritual Maturity
4 Vernon C
Grounds, Our Daily Bread devotional
6
[Evan D. Garner, “Why we need the Philippians Hymn on Sunday,” www.christiancentury.com]
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