SERMON OUTLINE:
The example of Jesus (vs 1-11):
• He Prioritised (vs 5-6)
• He Served (vs 7)
• He Sacrificed (vs 8)
• He Glorified God (vs 9-11)
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• My favourite Christmas joke this year was about Good King Wenceslas;
• Apparently Good King Wenceslas rings up a local pizza restaurant to order a pizza.
• "Certainly your Majesty," says the manager,
• "Will it be your usual? Deep pan, crisp and even?"
Ill:
• 'Twas the week after Christmas, and all through the house,
• Every creature was hurtin', even the mouse.
• The toys were all broken, their batteries dead;
• Dad’s asleep out on the sofa, with ice on his head.
• Wrapping and ribbons still cover the floor,
• The children in unison all shout, “I’m bored!”
• And I in my T-shirt, new Reeboks and jeans,
• Go into the kitchen and start planning to clean.
• When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
• I sprang from the sink to see what was the matter.
• Away to the window I flew like a flash,
• Tore open the curtains, and threw up the sash.
• When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
• But a little white truck, with an oversized mirror.
• The driver was smiling, so lively and grand;
• The clothes he was wearing said "U.K. POSTMAN."
• With a handful of bills, he grinned like a fox
• Then quickly he stuffed them into our letterbox.
• Bill after bill, after bill, they still came.
• Whistling and shouting he called them by name:
• "Here’s one from Tescoe’s, now Asda, and Beals
• Here's one from Harrod's, and Woolworth’s and Teal’s.
• To the tip of your limit, every store, every shop,
• You spent and you spent Oh why didn’t you stop!"
• He smiled and he whistled as he finished his work.
• He filled up the box, and then turned with a jerk.
• He sprang to his truck and he drove down the road,
• Driving much faster with just half a load.
• Then I heard him exclaim with great holiday cheer,
• "Enjoy what you got. . . . . .you'll be paying all year!"
WELL I HOPE THAT WAS NOT YOUR EXPERIENCE OF CHRISTMAS 2012!
• We have as a Church spent our Christmas services thinking about Jesus Christ;
• And rightly so!
• As we noted at our Carol Service – if you take ‘Christ’ out of ‘Christmas’;
• All you are left with is ‘M&S’ (note: ‘M&S’ – ‘Marks & Spencer’ is a UK shopping chain)
• The heart of Christmas is Christ!
• And the desire of every Christian should be to be more like Jesus!
Ill:
• Adoniram (pronounced: Ad-o-ni-ram) Judson;
• Was an American Baptist missionary in the 18th century;
• He served God in Burma for almost forty years.
• At the age of 25,
• Adoniram Judson became the first Protestant missionary;
• Sent from North America to preach in Burma.
• His mission and work led to the formation of the first Baptist association in America,
• He inspired many Americans to become or support missionaries,
• He translated the Bible into Burmese,
• And established a number of churches in Burma.
• One day his wife told him that a newspaper article;
• Had likened him to some of the apostles, he replied,
"I do not want to be like a Paul...or any mere man. I want to be like Christ...
I want to follow Him only, copy His teachings, drink in His Spirit, and place my feet in His footprints...Oh, to be more like Christ!"
• So often we settle for second best;
• Judson only wanted to be like Jesus!
Ill:
• On a wall near the main entrance to the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas,
• Is a portrait with the following inscription:
• "James Butler Bonham--no picture of him exists.
• This portrait is of his nephew, Major James Bonham, deceased,
• Who greatly resembled his uncle.
• It is placed here by the family that people may know the appearance of the man
• Who died for freedom."
• No literal portrait of Jesus exists either.
• But the likeness of the Son needs to be seen in each one of us!
• The heart of Christmas is Christ!
• And the desire of every Christian should be to be more like Jesus!
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: “Who, being in very nature God”, (verse 6):
• He was and is God. The supreme-being.
• The Almighty, creator of heaven & earth!
(b).
• They talk about his incarnation: “Being made in human likeness”. (verse 7b):
• God the Son became a human being and lived among us.
• Quote: “Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail the incarnate deity”.
• Quote: “Our God contracted to a span, Incomprehensibly made Man.”.
Ill:
• A little boy was trying to get to sleep but was frightened.
• So he shouted down from the bedroom,
• ‘Dad, it’s dark up here and I’m scared.’
• His father shouted back,
• ‘Don’t be afraid. God is with you.’
• After a few second’s pause, the boy yelled again:
• ‘Get up here, Dad - I need somebody with skin on!’
• This is the reality of the Incarnation.
(c).
• They talk about his death, a shameful, disgraceful death on a cross (verse 8);
• “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross”
ill:
• By being crucified Jesus died like the lowest of the low!
• This type of capital punishment was primarily reserved for traitors,
• For captive armies, for slaves and the worst of criminals.
• No Roman citizen was ever allowed to be crucified.
• 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: the Jewish historian klause-ner says:
"Crucifixion is a most terrible and cruel death, which man has ever devised for taking vengeance on his fellow country man".
• Roman statesman Cicero called crucifixion
• “the most cruel and disgusting penalty.”
• Jewish historian Josephus called it
• “the most wretched of deaths.”
No wonder the apostle says; “…even death on a cross”:
• Crucifixion represented the greatest heights of pain, and the greatest depths of shame.
• That could be known by any man;
• It was a lingering death with intense agony;
• Reserved and used ONLY for the lowest of the low!
(d).
• These verses talk about his exaltation;
• How he was ‘raised, ascended and now reigns in the heavens’ (verse 9);
Ill:
• In Gran Prix racing terms we would say:
• ‘He is on the winning podium’.
• The race is over and he won!
• And he is now receiving the rewards, the praise of victory!
(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’.
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).
• Priorities are learning the difference between what is important and what is essential.
• Quote: "The main thing, is to keep main thing, the main thing!"
• 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:
• 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: cobwebs for curtains etc.).
• He swapped the riches of paradise;
• To live in poverty (ill: no home, no money, nowhere to lay his head....and 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: N.I.V.: “But made himself nothing”,
• Other translations: “He emptied 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?
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 i.e. other people.
(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 ALWAYS 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 ALWAYS 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’
• ill: That’s why on our summer Camps;
• Campers get points for doing chores – they need to be motivated!
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:
• 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!
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 famous 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 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: Easter Poster outside a Church of a cross and just 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.
• Priorities are learning the difference between what is important and what is essential.
• Quote: "The main thing, is to keep main thing, the main thing!"
• 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!”
Punch line:
• 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’
• May that attitude & application be the experience of us all!
• Let’s pause for a moment of reflection before we pray.
