It's About Jesus Series

IT’S ABOUT JESUS!

Philippians 2.5-11

S: Jesus

C: Salvation, Communion

Th: Toward the Goal

Pr: EMBRACE JESUS AND LIVE HUMBLY AS HE DID.

CV: “We will relentlessly reach out to people with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.” We will do this by sharing the life we have found in Jesus.

Type: Inductive

I. APPLICATION (5)

II. CONTEXT (6)

III. HIS BURDEN (7-8)

IV. THE RESULT (9-11)

PA: How is the change to be observed?

• Live humbly like Jesus.

• Realize that the way up is down to servanthood.

• Seek out the best for others.

• Embrace Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

Version: ESV

RMBC 22 June 08 AM

INTRODUCTION:

Our theme for the year is “Plan to Win.”

We chose that theme because we want to win when it comes to being the church God is calling us to be.

We have been doing that this year, as we have determined our core values, and now as we continue in developing a philosophy of worship, hold a spiritual health retreat for the leadership, sort out a better structure and develop a plan for outreach.

We are moving “Toward the Goal,” our theme for our study in Philippians.

You will have to forgive me for the soccer theme in this slide (but you know it is the sweet sport and a favorite of mine).

The object in soccer is to put the ball in the net, and to do it more often than your opponent.

We have goals as a church as well.

We have ways of putting the ball in the net so to speak.

One of the ways Paul is expressing it in Philippians 2 is to have unity in our relationships.

We are getting the ball in the net when we are right in our relationships with each other.

But when we are characterized by criticism, differences, jealousy, ambition, and negative feelings, then we are not scoring.

We are not even moving toward the goal.

This is why we are to…

1. Live humbly before others.

That was our theme last week when we studied the first four verses in chapter 2.

We are not to think too highly of ourselves.

Rather, we are to look out for the interests of others.

ILL Humility (H)

Former President Bush commented on how his wife had not changed toward him since he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth. “I asked her how she liked being married to a knight,” President Bush said, “and she said, ‘Sir George, make the coffee.’”

Ouch!

So, even former presidents need to learn humility.

2. The superior example of humility is Jesus.

If we want to follow the direction of this passage, then we follow the example Paul gives us.

It is Jesus.

If we agree that unity is important, then humility is the way.

And it is the humility of Jesus that we need.

OUR STUDY:

I. APPLICATION (5)

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…

We are to…

3. Think like Jesus.

To do this, we need to let Christ live in us.

We need to let the example of the humility of Jesus Christ flow in and out of our minds.

Then, we need to take what is in the mind and apply it.

We need to walk in His humility.

In other words, we live humbly like Jesus.

Paul sets the goal before us.

Think like Jesus.

And now, in the following verses, he shows us how Jesus accomplished it.

But first, he gives us the…

II. CONTEXT (6)

…who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped…

4. Jesus is God.

Paul is very careful here.

He wants us to understand how great the humility of Jesus is.

For, before Jesus arrived on this earth, He existed!

He existed in the pleasure and joy as the second person of the Godhead.

The gospel of John explains this well, when it is written (John 1.1-2, 14)…

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

In time past, Jesus was the Co-creator with the Father and Holy Spirit.

Life in heaven was characterized by all that was perfect, including the ideal relationship they had with each other.

It was a way of life characterized by true joy.

Jesus had a limitless existence with all the glory and privilege at His disposal.

I have often wondered what the conversation must have been within the perfect fellowship of the Trinity before Jesus came to earth.