Obey - Sermon On Philippians 2:7-12 Series

Philippians 2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the very form of God, did not consider that equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very form of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

Introduction: What is Your Sweet Spot?

Think back to a time in your life when you were just really out of your element. Maybe you started a new job, and after about 15 minutes you’re thinking, “Ok, this is definitely not the right job for me.” Or you had to teach a class and it became painfully obvious that God never designed you to be a teacher. Some time when you were a fish out of water. Now think about the opposite of that. Imagine being right in the middle of your sweet spot – your wheelhouse. You are right where you belong, doing what you are born to do. What is that spot for you?

Now be careful. Don’t just think of whatever comes easiest to you. I knew a man a while back who was easily the greatest piano player I had ever known. A world class talent. Everyone who knew him agreed that was what God designed him to do. But it wasn’t the thing that came easiest to him. The thing that came easiest to him was drinking. And he drank and drank until he lost his job, lost his marriage and his family, and finally drank himself to death at around age 50. So when I say, “What is your sweet spot or your wheelhouse?” I don’t necessarily mean what is most comfortable or easiest, or even what you are best at. What I mean is what is that thing that God put you on this planet to do, so that your greatest effectiveness in life will come when you do that thing? That famous line in the movie Chariots of Fire where the main character says, “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure” - what’s the thing in your life that is equivalent to that? Because that is when your life will really be effective. That’s when you will really get traction. If you try to use a screwdriver to hammer in a nail, it’s frustrating. If you try to use a screwdriver as a crowbar, you’ll probably break it. You could use a screwdriver for shish kabobs, but it might be too thick in diameter to really work for that. But if you use it to screw in a screw – that is when that thing is at the height of its effectiveness. So what is that spot where you would be at the height of your effectiveness – the thing you are designed for? What is your sweet spot? I will tell you how to discover that in about 13 minutes from now. But first, let’s remind ourselves of the context.

The Model of Humility: The Incarnation

We have been studying through the book of Philippians, and we are currently working on this section about humility in chapter 2. In verses 3-4 Paul calls us to be humble toward one another, and then he gives us the supreme example of humility starting in verse 5.

Philippians 2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, did not consider that equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very form of a slave, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

That is the standard for humility that we are to imitate. The massive foundation beneath the command for us to be humble is nothing less than the very incarnation of the Son of God. And if you are not familiar with that word incarnation, it just means putting on flesh. Throughout eternity past, God had no flesh. He was a spirit – no body. He was not human. But then, 2000 years ago, having been in the form of God throughout eternity past, verse 7 says he was made in human likeness and he was found in appearance as a man. As we saw last week, the emphasis is on the external appearance, because being willing to be seen as lowly in the eyes of people is a very important aspect of humility. However, when it says form, does that imply that Jesus only looked human, but that he wasn’t really fully human? No, Jesus was and is just as human as you and I.