Text: Philippians 2:5-11, Title: Forms of Christmas, Date/Place: 12.25.11, AM
Opening illustration: Jonathan Edwards wrote a discourse/sermon on The Excellency of Christ in which he labored to show the ‘admirable conjunction of diverse excellencies in Christ.’ In it he talked about the combination of infinite highness and infinite condescension and said these words, “His infinite condescension marvelously appeared in the manner of his birth. He was brought forth in a stable because there was no room for them in the inn. The inn was taken up by others that were looked upon as persons of greater account.
The Blessed Virgin, being poor and despised, was turned or shut out. Though she was in such necessitous circumstances, yet those that counted themselves her betters would not give place to her; and therefore, in the time of her travail, she was forced to betake herself to a stable; and when the child was born, it was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. There Christ lay a little infant, and there he eminently appeared as a lamb.
But yet this feeble infant, born thus in a stable, and laid in a manger, was born to conquer and triumph over Satan, that roaring lion. He came to subdue the mighty powers of darkness, and make a show of them openly, and so to restore peace on earth, and to manifest God's good-will towards men, and to bring glory to God in the highest, according as the end of his birth was declared by the joyful songs of the glorious hosts of angels appearing to the shepherds at the same time that the infant lay in the manger; whereby his divine dignity was manifested.”
A. Background to passage: Paul is writing to a church about unity around a purpose (the advancement of the gospel). In the first four verses of chapter two, he dealt with unity and self-sacrifice, and then he breaks into the first of three examples of humble, kingdom-oriented sacrifice and service with our Lord Himself, and His incarnation as a man.
B. Main thought: this text teaches this unfathomable truth about Christ and His entrance into the world
A. Form of God (v. 6)
1. The word for “form” really doesn’t translate well into English, because we associate shape with it. It really has nothing to do with shape, but with an inherent possession of definitive qualities of something, in this case the divine. So, Jesus existed originally with all the definitive qualities of God. He is the centerpiece of all that exists! He is exalted to the highest degree! In fact we and kings and men compare to Him as though we were the worms in the dust! He possessed then, and does so now, the inherent glory that God possesses! His character is all that the Name of the Lord is proclaimed to be!
2. Rev 5:1-14, Matt 1:23
3. Illustration: “He is the Sovereign Lord of all. He rules over the whole universe and doeth whatever pleaseth Him. His knowledge is without bound. His wisdom is perfect, and that none can circumvent. His power is infinite, and none can resist Him. His riches are immense and inexhaustible. His majesty is infinitely awful.” “It is He that is terrible out of his holy places; who is mightier that the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea. Before whom a fire goes and burneth up his enemies round about; at whose presence the earth quakes and the hills melt; who sits on the circle of the earth, and all the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; who rebukes the sea and maketh it dry and drieth up the rivers; whose eyes are a flame of fire; from whose presence and from the glory of whose power, the wicked shall be punished with everlasting destruction; who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who hath heaven for His throne, and the earth for His footstool, and is the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, who kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and of whose dominion there is no end.” -Edwards, quotes from Sex and the Supremacy of Christ,
4. We do not have a category for this kind of God, except the highest that our imaginations can concoct. But we long for this! We were created to see, and think, and ponder, and ruminate upon, and enjoy the glory of God. And this was Him before and after his incarnation, and only veiled slightly during those 33 years. And I will do all in power to raise your affections for the most glorious, most satisfying, most beautiful, most precious treasure ever, so that you may be ravished by His awesomeness. Be amazed that somehow this God could come to live among us and not consume us on the spot. Be in love with the highest, greatest, and best of all beings! Run to this God in absolute trust and abandonment, or else run away in fear, but at least do not do Him the injustice of having shallow, impotent, needy thoughts of Him, especially at Christmas. For this babe in a manger was still the Master of the Universe!
B. Form of a slave (v. 7)
1. The wording used here “taking on” indicates a new state, but not a subtraction, but an addition. God became Man, but did not cease to be God. He came in the “likeness,” the word means almost exactly alike. It leaves room that He was like man, but that was not all. He “humbled” or brought Himself low in order to serve and be obedient to death. He made Himself as the lowest of the low in order to serve us. He was born to the poorest of women, in the most awkward circumstances, in the worst accommodations, surrounded by the most despised people, and most horrible smells. During his ministry He did nothing but good, and spoke nothing but truth, but He was hated, attacked, accused of being a glutton, winebibber, friend of sinners, under the power of Satan, a Sabbath breaker, a leader of a rebellion, a tax evader, and one who was out of His right mind. He washed feet, touched lepers, walked among the lowest of society, ate bad food, went without food, slept on hard beds or no beds, got rained on, probably snowed on, talked about, lied about, spit on, slapped, made fun of, hit with weeds and reeds, beaten, starved, cussed at, kicked, and finally was stripped and nailed to a cross publicly and humiliated in the most shameful way a man could die, cursed even of the thieves that hung with Him, and presumed to be cursed of God. All the while He could have thrown off his cloak of flesh, called 20K legions of angels and commenced to the vindication of His great name and the destruction of his enemies.
2. John 1:14, Heb 2:17-18
3. Illustration: The mystery of the humanity of Christ, that He sunk Himself into our flesh, is beyond all human understanding. - Martin Luther
4. He made Himself like us! He made Himself like us! Thus He understands us, sympathizes with us, intercedes with experiential knowledge of us. The application of this truth in conjunction with the previous one is that we might stand in awe of Him! That we might love Him and worship Him, not so much out of guilt or shame, but from gratefulness and admiration and wonder of His beauty and love for us! He condescended to serve you! And the main reason for all of this is found in verse 8, and in Heb 2:17: so that He might be obedient to the cross and become a wrath-bearing substitute for you and me. He is our Great High Priest longing for you to come to Him, and lay down your every hope of heaven apart from Him, and cast yourself in reckless abandonment as His feet for His purposes.
A. Closing illustration: He came from splendor to be born in poverty. He left the presence of angels, for the company of me. He laid down a scepter in heaven to be laid in a manger, and exchanged the worship of Archangels, for the praise of lowly shepherds.
B. Recap
C. Invitation to commitment
Additional Notes
• Is Christ Exalted, Magnified, Honored, and Glorified?
