We are fast approaching Easter, this upcoming Friday we will be celebrating (yes, celebrating) Good Friday, the day of our Lord’s crucifixion with a service that begins at 7pm. Then Sunday morning, you can expect a rousing encounter with our Risen Savior as we declare His glories! Invite your friends and relatives to these very timely and powerful services so that they might encounter God with you and your church family.
You might recall that God is most glorified when His people are most unified. There are, however, different kinds of unity.
We can try to unify around a cause, a vision, a goal, a presidential candidate, or even a need, but none of those forms of unity glorify God. They glorify the cause, the vision the goal or the candidate.
It is only when we, like a piano, are each tuned to Jesus Christ that our hearts sing the same melody and join in unity.
It is when our eyes are fixed upon Jesus that we are most unified and God is most glorified.
It is not by coincidence, that two weeks ago we looked at the first four verses of this passage that told us how to act like family and today, a week before Easter, we are looking at the rest of this passage.
(Philippians 2:5-11) Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. 7 He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. 8 And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (NLT).
This passage is at once both a marvelous declaration of the deity of Christ as well as an incredible description of His humility and obedience.
The Apostle Paul who wrote the passage we just read, was fully and completely convinced that Jesus was not only the promised Messiah, but God incarnate. In other words, He believed and wrote that Jesus was God Himself in the flesh.
This is an incredible statement but it really is the truth that each one of us must at some time in our lives come to terms with.
Jesus’ disciples watched as he healed the sick and raised the dead.
They observed first hand when he multiplied food and stood in awe as demons fled from Him.
They were awestruck by His teaching and humbled by His wisdom.
And they were speechless when they take authority over the weather.
Jesus asked His disciples, “who do you say that I am?” (Mt. 16:15)
We too must come to grips with the answer to this question.
At some point in our lives will have to ask the question, who is Jesus Christ to ME?
I wonder, how would you reply to this question?
There are some key terms in our passage that we need to examine that will help us answer this question:
The first word is: Humiliation
V5-6 (highlighted) Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God
I wonder, have you ever been humiliated?
Can you think of a time or two when you experienced humiliation? I am sure that most of us in this room can! It is part of being human.
Humiliation is when you are embarrassed, disgraced or shamed, when your prestige is stripped off of you, and when any feeling of self-respect has been stripped away for all to see.
It is being treated as ordinary when you are special.
It is having your rights or privileges are taken away, such as a respectable, well to do person being thrown in prison with a bunch of drug dealers and murderers.
Jesus, the Divine Son of God, had all the rights to be worshipped, adored, and to rule and reign over creation which itself must worship and bow before its creator.
He was well to do beyond anything you or I can imagine, being the Creator of the Universe, the Infinite, and the all Glorious God.
He set aside all of his privileges, all of his rights, and made himself literally nothing, becoming a man, entering a world full of sinners.
He who was the Creator, became like one of the created, a simple babe, a child born in poverty not privilege, and then in rags of human form, humbled himself even further, and though innocent, died a criminal’s death on a Roman cross.
That is humiliation beyond anything you or I have ever experienced, and He did it willingly, because He couldn’t bear to spend eternity without you.
He did it because He loves us and wants a relationship with you and me.
The second word is: Incarnation.
v 7 He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form.
By incarnation we mean when God became man.
The incarnation is what we traditionally celebrate at Christmas. The name given the anticipated and long awaited Messiah by the prophets was Emmanuel which means “God with us.”
This incarnation was humiliation for God, because He set aside His privileges and became as one of us.
The incarnation is the most momentous moment in human history, it is the pivotal point where God changed the very course of history.
When President Nixon was the president of the United States he said in a speech that the greatest moment in human history was when man walked on the moon. But Billy Graham corrected him and said, “No, the greatest moment in history was not when man walked on the moon but when God walked on earth.”
The third word is Nature:
Divine Nature:
When God became man, Jesus had both a Divine Nature, and a Human Nature, completely inseparable and yet completely distinct. He was both fully human and fully divine.
Many articles that have appeared in Newsweek and Time throughout the years, Jesus is always considered to be one of the great religious leaders of all time. He is placed alongside Buddha, Confucius, Moses, and Mohammed.
But this is not where the Bible places Him.
The bible states that Jesus, by His very nature, is God.
Note how else Paul describes it (Colosians 1:15-20) “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
Human Nature:
Jesus didn’t just appear human, nor was he just divinity living in a human shell.
Jesus had all of the limitations of humanity.
For 33 years He became limited by space and time.
In the person of Jesus, God experienced flesh and bones.
He suffered and grieved. He wept and He laughed. He got thirsty and hungry.
He experienced frustration and disappointment.
He couldn’t be everywhere at one time, he was limited by space and time just like the rest of humanity.
He had to have clothes to wear.
If you punched Him, He would bruise, if you hit Him, He would hurt, if you cut him, He would bleed.
His access to God’s power was limited in the same way ours is, by faith through prayer.
He had to fast and pray to hear His Father’s voice…the same way we must!
He had to deny himself to work miracles and to minister to people.
His nature as fully God and fully man is central to the events of this upcoming week. He suffers, dies and is buried. If He isn’t God AND man, then his sacrifice is futile and worthless.
HE had to become man because without our human nature, he wouldn’t have experienced death on our behalf. By living and dying in our place, he took the devils’ chief weapon away…the condemnation from unforgiven sin and its consequence, eternal death.
The fourth word is Obedience
Verse 8 And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross
Jesus obeyed perfectly the Father’s plan. He obeyed completely to death.
Those who travel in the north Yukon who use dogsled teams. The key to the whole team is how obedient the lead dog is to the master who is driving the sled. One man was saying that his lead dog was more obedient than any dog before. He was arguing with another man about the obedience of his dog. They were on the side of a cliff and he gave the dog the command to jump. As he did the dog leapt over the cliff. He caught the dog and pulled him back. Never again did anyone question the obedience of that sled dog. This dog was obedient unto death. He was willing to die for the master.
Jesus obeyed the Father, from the moment He left heaven to become man up through death itself, bearing the very weight of the sins of the entire human race.
Paul’s instruction is that we have the exact same mind in us as in Christ. Obedient out of love.
We imitate because we have been saved from our sins and death…we don’t obey to become saved. Our obedience is the fruit of a changed heart.
The fifth word is Sacrifice
Why did he do it? Why did He come to earth and leave all His rights and privileges behind to take on Human flesh and blood and to walk among us and die for us? Why would He do it?
The bible says it was because of love.
“God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes on His name shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (Jn 3:16)
The act of sacrificial love is the greatest act anyone can give for another.
It is said that Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Empire, once had captured a prince and his family. When they came before him, the monarch asked the prisoner, "What will you give me if I release you?" "I will give you half of my wealth," was his reply. "And if I release your children?" "Everything I possess." "And if I release your wife?" "Your Majesty, I will give myself." Cyrus was so moved by his devotion that he freed them all. As they returned home, the prince said to his wife, "Wasn’t Cyrus a handsome man" With a look of deep love for her husband, she said to him, "I didn’t notice. I could only keep my eyes on you- -the one who was willing to give himself for me."
What is most amazing is that Jesus didn’t’ sacrifice Himself because we deserved it.
He didn’t come for us because we had done anything worth His sacrifice.
He didn’t do it because we could repay his love.
He did it out of sacrificial love. That is love that is selfless, self-emptying and giving so that the other can fully benefit from the act.
Jesus made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant.
Why?
Because the human race was given a perfect environment; but we messed it up.
We were given the opportunity to live for God; we messed that up too.
We were given law to live by; we did not have the ability to do it.
You and I would be still on the path to eternal separation from God = “hell” without the sacrifice of Christ. God gave…and Jesus obeyed…for one purpose. To pay the debt you and I owed and could not pay. He took the punishment that you and I deserved so we could have an intimate relationship with Him and become part of the Family of God.
The sixth word is Exaltation
v9-11 Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The resurrection is proof that Christ’s death was successful in removing the sins of mankind and to satisfy to the wrath of God upon sin. That is why Easter is so important to the Christian!
Because he humbled himself, God exalted him; and he highly exalted him, hyperypsose, raised him to an exceeding height. He exalted his whole person, the human nature as well as the divine; for he is spoken of as being in the form of God as well as in the fashion of man.
Contrast of the Incarnation and the Exaltation.
Jesus went from a birth in a smelly stable to the highest place imaginable.
Jesus was once a weak, helpless baby, but now is the ruler and Lord of the universe.
He will judge the living and the dead.
(Martin Luther poem) Lord Jesus, You have taken upon Yourself what was mine. You have set upon me what was Yours. You have become what You were not That I might become what I was not.
Response:
You may have come here today to simply watch a baptism of a friend or relative, or to video tape your child or grandchild’s performance. We are glad you did. But you being here today is no accident. God has been calling your name for some time now. God has been trying to get your attention. You may have been doing your own thing for a long time now, going your own way, pursuing your own agenda. But it isn’t really working out is it?
God wants to give you a brand new direction, a brand new identity and a brand new start. He wants to set you free from the prison of self, and depression and rage and loneliness.
In fact, today, God is inviting you to become a part of His family, to become His child today.
You can become His child by faith today. You can take a step of faith and surrender today, and it will change your life forever. God loves you so much that He sent His Son to pay your debt and to offer you an opportunity to become a part of His family. Won’t you do that today?
If God has been calling you and drawing you, I invite you to pray this prayer with me and our congregation and surrender your heart and your will to God today:
Lord Jesus, I have been going my own direction and it isn’t working out. I cannot do it on my own. I want a change. I believe that you can make a change in my life. I need a Savior. I need you Jesus. Forgive me for my selfishness and the way I have lived. Come into my life and make me a brand new person. I believe you died on the Cross for MY sins and rose again. In Jesus name amen.
