“he Did What We Could Not Do” Series

In verse 6, we learned that Christ is the eternal God of the universe, who set aside His eternal rights, to accomplish His eternal purpose - that He be glorified by His creation through the lives of redeemed men and women who walked in intimate love relationship with Him.

Verse 7 says Jesus was “made in human likeness” to reveal Himself to us and to also reveal how our lives were designed to be lived.

In verse 8, Paul says Jesus did what we could not do for ourselves. Once He was “found in appearance as a man,” He set about taking care of the sins of the world. This required two things of Him.

1. He lived a sinless life -

“he humbled himself and became obedient to death”

“He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death.” - Philippians 2:8 (NET)

The magnitude of our Lord’s humility is measured by the extent to which He was obedient - all the way to death. The term “obedient” means “to adhere to or follow the desires of another,” in this case the Father. Jesus Christ, the one and only of the Father, God in human flesh, lived His life here on earth in perfect submission to the will of the Father. In so doing, not only did Jesus reveal to a lost world how they could live; but He revealed to His followers how we should live.

"Jesus lived a sinless life, so that in our lives we might sin less." - Anonymous

“Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin.” - Hebrews 4:14b-15 (NLT)

How did Jesus overcome sin and live a perfect, sinless life?

A. He was faithful to commune with the Father.

“Jesus would often go to some place where he could be alone and pray.” - Luke 5:16 (CEV) (Mark 1:35; Matthew 14:23)

Jesus overcame the negative influence of the world through the positive influence of His relationship with the Father.

B. He was faithful to the commands of the Father.

“I do as the Father has commanded me.” - John 14:31 (ESV)

Jesus avoided the wrong things by choosing to do the right things.

C. He was faithful to cooperate with the Father.

Jesus looked daily to see what the Father was calling Him to cooperate with Him in and did so. He was led by the Father in all He did and said.

“I’m telling you this straight. The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing.” - John 5:19-20 (The Message)

Jesus tuned in to the daily call of the Father, and tuned out the daily call of the world.

D. He was faithful to the commission of the Father.

In Matthew 4:1-11, we read of how Satan tempted Jesus to bypass the cross. But He overcame by maintaining His focus on the mission the Father called Him to fulfill and the eventual blessings that would result.

“Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it Because he never lost sight of where he was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.” - Hebrews 12:2 (The Message)

We are born sinners by nature and by live sinfully by choice. Jesus was sinless by virtue of His birth and by virtue of His obedience. Because Jesus was without sin, He was uniquely qualified to offer Himself as a sacrifice for our sin on behalf of the entire human race. A suitable substitute is one who is not guilty, for if one is guilty, the punishment they take on is their own, not some one else’s.

Christ offered Himself, as the sinless One, for the sinful ones.

“I gave Him a crown of thorns, He gave me a crown of righteousness. I gave Him a cross to carry, He gave me His yoke which is easy, His burden which is light. I gave Him nails through His hands, He gave me safely into His Father’s hands from which no power can pluck me. I gave Him a mock title, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’ He gave me a new name and made me a king and a priest to God. I gave Him no covering, stripping His clothes from Him, He gave me a garment of salvation. I gave Him vinegar to drink, He gave me Living Water. I crucified and slew Him on a tree, He gave me eternal life. It was my sinfulness that put Him there. It is His