If you’ve been listening to the news this week, you know about the airplane that crashed into the side of the French Alps. Well, I’m going to tell you about another air disaster. This one happened in 2008 when a flight from Madrid, Spain crashed soon after takeoff killing 158 people. It was an accident that should have been avoided. The wing flaps had not been deployed properly on takeoff. They were in the “up” position when they should have been in the “down” position. Because of that, the plane wasn’t able to gain sufficient altitude and it slammed back into the runway.
Did you know that human beings are a lot like airplanes? We’re not equipped with flaps under our arms of course, but our attitude determines our altitude. Our attitude, the way that we think about ourselves and the way that we treat others as a result, will determine our altitude. Of course the world thinks that the way to soar is to exalt yourself and climb on and over others to get ahead. Our text, however, teaches that a humble, downward-facing attitude will actually give us much more altitude. Humility. We’re focusing on that trait this morning because it’s what Jesus demonstrated as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey that first Palm Sunday.
Listen again to the Apostle Paul who wrote the words of our text. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature 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!” (Philippians 2:3-9)
It’s not much of a newsflash to hear Paul remind us that Christians are to be Christ-like in their attitude. We are to put others first and think of what the people around us need to succeed, rather than thinking about what we want others to do for us. But this doesn’t come naturally to us – not even to those who liked each other enough to get married. Wives, you expected your husbands to be your knight in shining armor. And believe me, that’s how we husbands saw ourselves too. We pledged ourselves to you because we really wanted to protect you and make life seem like a fairytale for you. But every knight needs a sidekick – someone to shine the armor and feed the horse. Unfortunately we assumed that that would be your job since you loved us so much.
Is it any wonder then that marriages fall apart because the husband and wife start to keep score of how many times they served the other? Because of that they start to harbor resentment over silly things like she didn’t close the cupboards again, or he didn’t squeeze the toothpaste tube from the bottom! But Paul does not say that we should look to the interests of others only if they look after our interests. No, he says that our attitude should be the same as Jesus’ attitude. Jesus willing served us even though we hadn’t done anything for him. In fact we had done everything to annoy God with our sins and gave him every reason to get rid of us with disgust as if we were a jack-o’-lantern left outside all winter.
But on this Palm Sunday, Paul isn’t content to say that God saved us from sin. He wants us to ponder just how low the Son of God stooped to save us. Paul outlines three big downward steps the Son of God took so he could reach us and lift us up out of our sins. First of all Paul says that Jesus gave up his right to glory. Can you imagine an Olympic champion stepping off the podium and leaving behind the gold medal that belongs to him because he just received word that his mother was very sick and was not expected to live long? Yes, I think you could imagine such a scene. But would that same Olympian leave the medal ceremony, a ceremony he had dreamed of since he was a kid, and had worked years to be a part of, would he leave all that glory behind to rush off to an animal shelter to comfort to a few stray dogs that had been rounded up that afternoon? What the Son of God did in leaving his home in heaven to be with us sinners doesn’t even begin to compare to that.
The second downward step the Son of God took was that he became human. Again, imagine that Olympian visiting the animal shelter. He’s not content to simply pet the animals; no, he gets down on all fours to play with the dogs, taking in his mouth their chew toys like they do. He also eats the same food the dogs eat, and curls up in the same pens they are kept in. How long would someone seriously do something like that? For a few minutes maybe as a joke. Jesus, the Son of God, lived among sinners for 33 years.
But that wasn’t the end of it. The last big downward step Jesus took was that he gave his life to save sinners! If a stray dog needed a heart transplant, would our curious Olympian offer up his heart? Would he willingly die so that an animal could live? If so, you would say that he was out of his mind. And that exactly describes God’s love for you. He’s out of his mind in love with you because he has given you his heart in the person of Jesus!
Now consider what Paul is urging in our text. He’s saying that we are to have the same attitude as Christ Jesus. In other words, we are also to be “out of our minds” willing to stoop low, very low to serve others. But that sounds foolish doesn’t it? If we stoop low like that, we’ll never get ahead in life! We’ll never climb the corporate and social ladder. Ah, not so assures Jesus, for he once said: “…whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). You see, we really are like airplanes. Our flaps (and our yaps for that matter) need to be in the downward, humble position if we want to gain altitude. It worked for Jesus. Listen to how Paul continued in our text. “[Jesus] made himself nothing, taking the very nature 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” (Philippians 2:7-11).
Because Jesus, the Son of God, humbled himself, many did not take him seriously. Just think of how the religious leaders mocked Jesus as he hung on the cross. “If you really are the Christ, come down from there and we’ll believe you!” they cackled. Satan too underestimated Jesus. But he was the one who ended up being humiliated. Satan and death derided Jesus the way a fish looks at a lowly worm curiously floating in the water. The fish devours the worm thinking it’s an easy meal, but little does it realize that there is a sharp hook underneath that worm. A hook which has now pierced its insides and will not let go. (Martin Luther)
When Jesus allowed himself to be overcome with death, he was simply setting the hook deep in the belly of that beast. And once Jesus grabbed hold of death in that way, God the Father hauled it in and crippled it so that death can no longer do us permanent damage. For his Son’s humble obedience, the Father exalted Jesus. The day will come when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Jesus’ humble attitude has given him some serious altitude. He now is above all things, ruling with his omnipotent power.
That’s good to remember isn’t it when we feel sorry for ourselves for being Christians. You know what I mean. There are times when we feel like we’re missing out on all the fun because we spend so much time here in worship. Or we miss out on good vacations and give up toys that could be ours because we give “so much” of our money back to the Lord.
But those who humble themselves and place themselves under God’s care, which doesn’t always seem obvious, will find that they too will gain some serious altitude in the end. Paul went on to say to his readers: “Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life” (Philippians 2:14-16).
You might not feel like it, but in God’s eyes you are stars soaring high above this sinful world. And you will receive the red carpet treatment when Jesus reappears in all of his glory and power. You won’t be sitting on the sidelines with the paparazzi, but you will be part of the heavenly parade. And all those who mocked you for your faith will see that you were right all along.
That truth isn’t of course an invitation to be arrogant. After all it’s only by God’s grace that we believe this truth about Jesus. Not only did the Son of God stoop down to save us, but God the Holy Spirit also swooped down to live in our hearts so that we would believe the life-giving truth about Jesus.
Yes, it’s crucial for an airplane to have its flaps in the right position for takeoff, but it’s also crucial for God’s people to mimic their master Jesus. Since Jesus, the Son of God, lowered himself to serve us, how can we not do the same for others? It may not seem like fun, and it will lead to extra “work” as it did for Jesus, but your attitude now will determine your altitude for eternity. Stoop low for Jesus, and in time you will soar with Jesus. Amen.
SERMON NOTES
The Apostle Paul says that our attitude should be like Jesus’ attitude. How might such an attitude show itself…
- in a marriage?
- in a classroom?
- at the mall?
What three big steps did Jesus take to lower himself? Which one do you think was the most difficult? Why?
“Attitude determines Altitude.” That is the sermon theme. How was that statement true for Jesus? How is it true for Christians?
Why is the sermon text a fitting Scripture reading for Palm Sunday?
