Reading: Philippians chapter 2 verses 1-30:
Ill:
• Story told about a Jewish man in New York who bought a little shop;
• Problem was it was squeezed in between two gigantic department stores.
• He wondered what to call his little shop,
• After much thought he had a brainwave, he called it ‘ENTRANCE!’
• In life we can be crushed and defeated by our problems;
• Or with God’s help we can overcome and get the better of our difficulties.
The Apostle Paul knew the Church at Philippia had problems:
• Chapter 1 verses 15-18:
• Tells us Paul had his rivals, opponents who criticised him & his message.
• Chapter 3 verses 1-3:
• Tells us that there were false teachers confusing these believers with wrong teaching.
• Chapter 4 verses 1-3:
• Tells us there were people openly arguing in an unhealthy and damaging way.
Paul knew that these problems would not be solved by rules or threats:
• These problems would only get solved;
• When these Christians get their hearts and minds right with Christ.
• So he gives them four examples, four models.
• Jesus (verses 1-11, Paul himself (verses 12-18),
• Timothy (verses 19-24)
• Epaphroditus (verses 25-30).
We don’t have time to look at all four examples:
• So we are going to look at the first and greatest in the chapter.
• Jesus Christ – he is our ultimate example, he is our perfect model.
ILL:
• A husband came down to breakfast and was delighted to hear his wife say;
• "Darling you are a model husband'.
• Now he was so flattered by the remark;
• That latter on that day he decided to look up the meaning of the word in his Oxford dictionary.
• He found the page and began reading:
• "Model, a small plastic imitation of the real thing".
• Question: Does that describe your Christian experience?
• “A small imitation of the real thing?”
• God wants us as individuals and also our Churches;
• To be the real deal, the genuine article.
Ill:
• A father took his young son to a large city museum;
• Thinking that the visit would entertain the boy.
• But for two hours the lad did nothing but sigh and complain.
• To him everything was old, decaying, lifeless, dead.
• Finally in desperation the boy turned and said to his dad;
• “Dad, let’s go someplace where things are real!”
• God wants us as individuals and also our Churches;
• To be real, the genuine article.
• To help these Philippian Christians be real;
• Paul reminds them of Jesus Christ as his prototype.
(A). The example of Jesus (vs 1-11).
• Now these verses are a preachers, a theologians dream;
• They tell us so much concerning the unique person of Jesus.
(a).
• They talk about his deity (verse 6):
• He was and is God. The supreme being. The Almighty, creator of heaven & earth!
(b).
• They talk about his incarnation (verse 7):
• He became a human being and lived among us (ill: xmas).
• Quote: “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail the incarnate deity”)
• Ill: Fly in room.
(c).
• They talk about his death, a shameful, disgraceful death on a cross (verse 8);
• (ill: He died like the lowest of the low).
(d).
• Then they talk about his exaltation;
• How he was ‘raised, ascended and now reigns in the heavens’ (verse 9);
• Ill: Lewis Hamilton, ‘On the winning podium’.
(e).
• They talk about his kingship (verses 10-11)
• ‘Every knee will one day bow and acknowledge him’!
• We do that voluntarily now or one day we will be summoned to stand before King Jesus!
Ill:
• An American guide in Arizona was asked;
• ‘How long does it take to see the Grand Canyon?’
• The guide replied;
• ‘Some see it in five minutes others want to stay for days or weeks’.
• Likewise we could spend weeks looking at these great doctrines;
• But we only have minutes to appreciate them.
• So I am going to pick out four key truths concerning Jesus;
• And they are all aspects that we can put into practice.
Notice:
• Our key verse is number 2: where Paul says “be like minded”.
• In other words ‘Look and learn’.
Ill:
• How we learn:
• 1% through taste
• 1.5% through touch
• 3.5% through smell
• 11% through hearing
• 83% through sight
• Quote: Chinese proverb
• “Tell me; I’ll forget. Show me; I may remember. But involve me and I’ll understand”.
• Paul tells the Philippians ‘Look and learn’.
• Look at Jesus and “be like minded”.
(1). He Prioritised (vs 5-6).
• The reason Jesus came to planet earth was because of a burden, a desire; a longing;
• He came because he was not thinking of himself but others – you and me! (vs 5-6).
5”Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,”
Now don’t get side tracked with this verse;
• Paul is not trying to prove the deity of Christ (that he is the same as God);
• That is taken for granted, in this letter and all though both the New & Old Testaments.
• The whole point of this illustration is;
• That we might learn from the ATTITUDE of Jesus!
Paul is reminding these Christians that Jesus:
• As part of the Godhead in heaven;
• Before he entered our world –had it all! And he had it in abundance!
• But because he did not think of himself (selfish “I’m okay”);
• He thought of others (You, me and the lost world he created) and he put us first!
Ill:
• Lord Baden-Powell (British general & founder of the Scout movement, 1857-1941)
• Died in Kenya.
• The Dean of Westminster Abbey (London) Wrote to Lady Baden-Powell;
• He offered her a place of honour for her husband in the Abbey.
• It would be, he said, between the grave of David Livingstone (Scottish missionary & explorer in Africa
• And the tomb of the Unknown Warrior.
• The family, however, knew Baden-Powell's wishes.
• He was laid to rest in a little cemetery in Kenya.
• Above the grave was a simple stone which bears;
• His name, when he was born and when he died.
• There is also a sign carved in the stone - a circle with a spot in the centre.
• It is the Scout sign that means, "I have gone home."
• For Jesus entering our world was the very opposite!
• He left the majesty of heaven to come to planet earth.
Ill:
• He swapped the adoration and worship of the angelic creatures in heaven.
• For a world who would reject and despise him.
• He swapped the splendour and glory of heaven.
• For a stinking stable in Bethlehem (ill: cob webs for curtains etc).
• He swapped the riches of paradise;
• To live in poverty (ill: no home, no money....no sin!)
PAUL SAYS TO THESE CHRISTIANS:
• Remember that Jesus had it all, and he had it in abundance;
• But for your sakes he gave it up!
• And if that wasn’t impressive enough....he even went further:
• Verse 8:
“But made himself nothing,
• Or “He empted himself”.
• Ill: idea of removing things from a container, until the container is empty.
He emptied himself, just think about it:
• In heaven he was the eternal word,
• On earth he had to learn to speak.
• In heaven he never grew weary or tired.
• On earth he must sleep every night.
• In heaven he knew everything;
• On earth he had to learn to read and write and add up and take away.
• In heaven he was the self-existent God.
• On earth he was dependent on food and water to survive.
• In heaven he could do all things (all powerful God);
• On earth Jesus said; “Of myself I can do nothing!”
• Jesus emptied himself of his attributes...until the container is empty.
• And if that was not enough he went even further....
Pause to apply point 1:
• Point 1: Jesus thought about others and not himself;
• How are you doing?
Ill:
Video clip ‘ME CHURCH’
Quote:
• From an unknown source comes an article titled,
• “How To Be Miserable.” It says,
• “Think about yourself. Talk about yourself. Use ‘I’ as often as possible.
• Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others.
• Listen greedily to what people say about you.
• Expect to be appreciated. Be suspicious. Be jealous and envious. Be sensitive to slights.
• Never forgive a criticism. Trust nobody but yourself.
• Insist on consideration and respect.
• Demand agreement with your own views on everything.
• Sulk if people are not grateful to you for favours shown them.
• Never forget a service you have rendered. Shirk your duties if you can.
• Do as little as possible for others.”
Philippians is called the letter of JOY.
• Someone did an acrostic of the word ‘Joy’.
• J=Jesus. O=Others. Y=Yourself.
• Never forget Church is not about ‘I, Me, Myself’.
• It is first and foremost about Jesus Christ and his body (other people).
• So when you meet with other Christians;
• Have the right attitude.
• The Bible teaches the strange concept that; “the way to up is down”.
• And when you are down God lifts you up!
(2). He Served (vs 7).
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.”
Ill:
C. S. Lewis
• “Lying at your feet is your dog.
• Imagine, for the moment, that your dog and every dog is in deep distress.
• Some of us love dogs very much.
• If it would help all the dogs in the world to become like men,
• Would you be willing to become a dog?
• Would you put down your human nature,
• Leave your loved ones, your job, hobbies, your art and literature and music,
• And choose instead of the intimate communion with your beloved,
• The poor substitute of looking into the beloved’s face and wagging your tail,
• Unable to smile or speak?”
• What we would not do and could not do for an animal;
• God was both willing and able to do for us!
Note:
• Jesus did not pretend to be a servant;
• He was not an actor playing a role, he became a real servant;
• To describe his servant-hood;
• Paul deliberate uses a specific Greek word that in English means ‘servant’;
• He chose the Greek word ‘Doulos’ which actually means ‘Slave.’
• In our times and culture we kind of find it hard to appreciate what that means.
Ill:
• Now in the ancient world dominated by the Romans,
• A slave was regarded simply as a living apparatus, a two legged beast.
• Considered to have no soul,
• Considered to have no significant importance,
• He or she was a living piece of equipment owned by the master:
• To be used and even abused, at his masters whim / desire.
Quote: one historian writes it like this:
• "A slave was not even a person, he was a living tool,
• his master had absolute power over his slaves,
• he could box their ears or condemn them to hard labour,
• making them for instance work in chains upon his land,
• he may punish them at will,
• With the blows of the rod or the lash of the not".
Ill:
Jesus chose to be a ‘Doulos’ a ‘Slave.’ To the world he had created!
• Have you noticed as you read the gospels ;
• It is Jesus who serves others, not others who serve Jesus.
• He is always at the beck and call of other people:
• Fishermen, prostitutes, tax collectors, the sick, the sorrowful.
• They were constantly making demands upon him;
• And throughout his life Jesus did not think selfishly about himself; He put others first!
Pause to apply point 2:
Quote:
“Everyone likes to be called a servant,
That is until somebody treats us like one!”
Nobody likes to serve, we would all naturally prefer to be the ones being served:
• That’s why little jobs that need doing are called ‘chores’ and not ‘pleasures’
• That’s why on Camp you get points for jobs (points to motivate etc)
Ill:
• Several years ago, Larry Walters, a 33-year-old man;
• Decided he wanted to see his locality from a new perspective.
• So he went down to the local army surplus store;
• And bought forty-five used weather balloons.
• That afternoon he strapped himself into a garden chair,
• And several of his friends tied the now helium-filled balloons.
• He took along a six-pack of beer, a sandwich, & a Bull-bearing gun,
• Figuring he could shoot the balloons one at a time when he was ready to land.
Walters, who assumed the balloons would lift him about 100 feet in the air,
• Be he was caught off guard;
• When the chair soared more than 11,000 feet into the sky.
• This took him smack into the middle of;
• The air traffic pattern at Los Angeles International Airport.
• Too frightened to shoot any of the balloons,
• He stayed airborne for more than two hours,
• This forced the airport to shut down its runways for much of the afternoon,
• Causing long delays in flights from all over the country.
• Soon after he was safely grounded and cited by the police,
• Reporters asked him three questions:
• First question: “Where you scared?”
• He replied “Yes.”
• Second question: “Would you do it again?”
• He answered “No.”
• Third question: “Why did you do it?”
• “Because,” he said, “you can’t just sit there.”
If you want to be MAD for Jesus (Make A Difference):
• Start by serving others! Give people practical help!
• Start by serving in the Church! Always practical help needed!
ILL:
To many Christians are like a car that’s stuck in the neutral gear;
• The engine sounds impressive,
• The lights radio and horn are all in working condition,
• They even have a fantastic sound system.
• Trouble is that like a car in natural, they are not going anywhere!
• Start by serving others! Give people practical help!
• Start by serving in the Church! Always practical help needed!
Ill:
• My work would not be half as effective;
• Without the many of servant hearted people who help me.
Ill:
• Leonard Bernstein, was once the conductor of the New York Philharmonic orchestra,
• Someone asked him to name the most difficult instrument to play.
• Without hesitation, he replied,
• “The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists,
• But to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm - that’s a problem.
• And if we have no second fiddle, we have no harmony.”
Ill:
• Someone once asked the Pope, “How many people work in the Vatican”;
• He thought for a minute and replied; “About half of them”.
• Question: Is that true in your Church?
• Question: Which group do you fit into too?
(3). He sacrificed (vs 8):
8”And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!”
Ill:
• In Llandaff Cathedral in Wales, you will find Joseph Epstein’s figure of Jesus,
• What makes this figure unique is that all the marks of crucifixion have been removed.
• The figure may be a majestic, beautiful and compassionate piece of art,
• But sadly Joseph Epstein has totally missed the point!
• The scars of Jesus are the visual reminders of his suffering;
• And without those scars, and suffering and death, there is no salvation!
Ill:
• The deaf have a sign for Jesus.
• The middle finger of each hand is placed into the palm of the other.
• Jesus, the one with wounded hands.
• Someone has said; “When they touch the place, they hear the name in their own flesh”.
Note: “Even death on a cross!”
• Crucifixion was so abhorrent that no Roman was ever allowed to be crucified.
• For a Jew it was the worse way to die, it meant you were under a curse.
• When Jesus died, remember that he died in a way that was the lowest of the lowest.
• He deserved the best but he experienced the worse!
There are some forms of crucifixion that are designed to:
• Take a person’s life;
• But still allow that person to retain some dignity,
• Crucifixion took away not only a person’s life, but every vestige of dignity.
• It was deliberately designed to do that.
Quote: klause-ner a Jewish historian says:
"Crucifixion is a most terrible and cruel death,
Which man has ever devised for taking vengeance on his fellow country man".
Quote: Roman statesman and philosopher Cicero called it:
"The most cruel and the most horrible torture".
Ill:
• We went back in time and saw one we would be physically sick.
• Ill: Baptist minister “I hope you will be profoundly upset”.
We know of course that the death of Jesus on the cross:
• Was not an accident (i.e. circumstances out of control);
• It was not martyrdom.
• It was a sacrifice! An offering! A payment for sin!
• “God made him.....to be sin for us”
Pause to apply point 3:
• As Christians we are called to make a sacrifice:
• To take up our cross daily and follow him!
Ill:
• Booth of tourist souvenirs outside a cathedral was a sign;
• It read: “Cheap crosses for sale”.
• Some Christians want a cheap cross, an easier life;
• But that is not what Jesus experienced or what we should be looking for!
Quote:
• Romans chapter 12 verse 1:
• "Therefore offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God"
• The Message: “Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating,
• going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering”.
Ill:
Pig & hen story.
• Whenever we read that word we are programmed to think of death:
• You kill something and then you lay it on the alter and it is consumed.
• But here it is a living sacrifice,
• Quote: "Trouble with a living sacrifice is they crawl off the altar".
Ill:
• A wealthy English family once invited friends to spend some time at their beautiful estate.
• The happy occasion was almost plunged into a terrible tragedy on the first day.
• Because the children went swimming,
• And one of them got into deep water and started drowning.
• Fortunately, the gardener heard the other screaming children;
• And jumped into the pool to rescue the drowning child.
• That youngster was Winston Churchill.
• His parents, deeply grateful to the gardener, asked what they could do to reward him.
• He hesitated & then said, “I wish my son could go to college someday and become a doctor.”
• Churchill’s parents replied “We will pay his way,”
Years later when Sir Winston was prime minister of England:
• He was stricken with pneumonia.
• Greatly concerned, the king summoned his best physician to treat him;
• That doctor who came was Sir Alexander Fleming (the developer of penicillin).
• He was also the son of that gardener who had saved Winston from drowning as a boy!
• Later Churchill said,
• “Rarely has one man owed his life twice to the same person.”
Now each one of us here today can say those exact same words:
• Jesus Christ is the one who created the world and therefore gave us physical life.
• And by his sacrifice on the cross, he is the one who gives us spiritual life!
• So the apostle John makes it very clear that if you want to pass the test of true love:
• It will cost you, because true love is sacrificial.
Quote Warren Wiersbe:
“Self-preservation is the first law of physical life,
but self-sacrifice is the first law of spiritual life”
(4). He glorified God (vs 9-11).
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.”
• This should be the goal of every Christian.
• To glorify God the Father.
• Ill: In the Old Testament the Hebrew word translated ‘Glory’;
• Means ‘Weight, that which is important and honourable’.
• Ill: In the New Testament the Greek word translated ‘Glory’;
• Means “Opinion, fame”
Ill:
• Throughout his life Jesus pleased and glorified his heavenly Father.
• Heaven was opened and on two occasions God spoke to the people about him!
• Don’t forget that in his death he glorified God!
• The cross may have looked like a failure, but it was history’s greatest triumph!
• Ill: Chess player story.
• Ill: Poster of cross and two words – ‘He won!’
Note:
• As a result of glorifying God, God then glorified him!
• Human beings did their worst to Jesus but God did his best.
• Human beings gave to Jesus names of ridicule and slander;
• But God the Father gave him a glorious name.
• In his humiliation he was given the name ‘Jesus’.
• In his exaltation he was given the name ‘Lord’.
Pause to apply point 4:
• We glorify God;
• As we put him first day by day.
Ill:
• At last year’s F.A. Cup final a diehard fan remarked about it to a woman sitting nearby.
• That he was surprised to see an empty seat at such an important game.
• The woman explained, “It was my husband’s, but he died.”
• The man replied;
• “I’m very sorry to hear that! But I am really surprised that another relative, or friend;
• Didn’t jump at the chance to take the seat reserved for him.”
• “Beats me too,” she said.
• “But they all insisted on going to the funeral.”
The story is funny because the woman had mixed up priorities:
• Paul wants these Christians to; “get your priorities right!”
• The priority of every Christian is to glorify God:
Ill:
• The best way to glorify God is to obey him.
• “The greatest thing you can do for God is the very next thing he asks you to do!”
Ill:
• Giving our all to the Lord is not like taking a £10,000 pound cheque;
• And laying it on the table saying ’Here’s my life, Lord. I’m giving it all.’
• The reality for most of us is; that God sends us to the bank;
• And has us cash in the £10,000 cheque for pound notes.
• Then as we then go through life;
• We are to use the money God has given back to us in a daily giving of ourselves to him.
• So God arranges opportunities for us to;
• Use £5 here and £10 there and maybe a £100 elsewhere.
• True love may start out with a big promise of commitment;
• But it proves its genuineness by those little acts of love, £5 at a time.
• It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory;
• But it’s harder to live the Christian life little by little and to last the long haul.
Ill:
• The best way to glorify God is to obey him.
• “The greatest thing you can do for God is the very next thing he asks you to do!”
Punchline:
• If you want an example of humility;
• There is none that matches Jesus!
• Having given the perfect illustration;
• Paul now applies it by saying in verse1:
• If you are linked to Christ in anyway prove it!
• Verse 2: tells us how we prove it; “By being like-minded”
• In other words; ‘Have the same attitude’
• In other words; ‘Have the same mindset’
• In other words; ‘Have the same outlook’
• In other words; ‘Have the same desire’
