The Willingness Of The Cross
Text: Phil. 2:5-11
Introduction
1. Illustration: John Stott, said, "I could never myself believe in God if it were not for the cross. In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I turn to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in God-forsaken darkness. "That is the God for me. He set aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death."
2. Nothing exemplifies the Christian faith more than the cross.
A. It is the universal symbol of the followers of Jesus.
B. It is an image that is loved and revered by believers and despised by the world.
C. We sing about it with songs like "The Old Rugged Cross," "At The Cross," and "Near The Cross."
3. However, to me the power of the cross is the willingness of Jesus to go to it.
A. He was willing to become like us to go to it.
B. He was willing to give up his divine privileges to go to it.
C. He was willing to submit to the physical and emotional pain to go to it.
4. In his willingness to go to the cross Jesus left us an example to follow...
A. The Willingness To Be Humble
B. The Willingness To Be Obedient
C. The Willingness To Let God Lift You Up
5. Let's stand as we read from Phil. 2:5-11.
Proposition: Jesus example calls us to display the willingness of the cross in our daily lives.
Transition: First, Jesus exemplified...
I. The Willingness To Be Humble (5-7).
A. The Same Attitude That Christ Jesus Had
1. While this text is often used for Christmas, it also lends itself as one for Lent because it centers on the cross.
2. It starts by telling us the heart of Jesus in going to the cross. In v. 5 it says, "You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had."
A. Many people feel that they can’t control their moods or attitudes. But Paul doesn’t accept the fact that Spirit-filled Christians are slaves to their attitudes. Christ Jesus had a particular attitude; so must we.
B. One of the great myths of popular psychology that has drifted into the church today deals with impulsive behavior based on emotions.
C. Those who accept Jesus Christ as Savior enter a community of believers, the church.
D. Believers are to obey their Savior because of who he is and what he has done on their behalf. Paul eloquently describes this in the following verses (Barton, Life Application New Testament Commentary, 850).
E. While verses 5-11 contain some of the most important Christological truths in the Bible, they were written in a context which should encourage Christians to emulate the example of Christ in humility.
F. Thus, having the attitude of Christ means "to think as Christ thought" (Rossier, The Complete Biblical Library – Galatians-Philemon, 199).
G. "Our Lord Jesus Christ, when urging his disciples to undertake great works, makes himself an example...This too blessed Paul does, bringing Christ before their eyes when he urges them to practice humility" (Chrysostom, Ancient Commentary On Scripture, vol. 8, 225).
3. Then Paul points to Christ's divinity when he says, "Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to."
A. A more literal translation of the Greek text who read, "though he was in the form of God."
B. The word form means the permanent, constant being of a person. It is the very essence of a person, that part of him that never changes. It is the unchangeable being (The Preacher's Outline & Sermon Bible – Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Under: "B. Humbling One's Self, 2:5-11").
C. This verse describes the status of Christ as he existed before the creation of the world—that is, his preincarnate state.
D. Jesus Christ was God. Everything God is, Christ is; the equality is in essential characteristics and divine attributes.
E. But Jesus did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but set them aside for a time in order to become human.
F. When Christ was born, God became a man. Jesus was not part man and part God; he was completely human and completely divine. Christ is the perfect expression of God in human form.
G. As a man, Jesus was subject to place, time, and other human limitations.
H. What made Jesus’ humanity unique was his freedom from sin. He did not give up his eternal power when he became human, but he did set aside his glory and his rights.
I. In his full humanity, we can see everything about God’s character that can be conveyed in human terms.(Barton 850-851).
4. Paul then tells us "Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,"
A. Gave Up: to completely remove or eliminate elements of high status or rank by eliminating all privileges or prerogatives associated with such status or rank (Johannes P. Louw and Eugene A. Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Symantic Domains, Under: "87.70).
B. Christ voluntarily gave of himself, making himself nothing. The Incarnation was the act of the preexistent Son of God voluntarily assuming a human body and human nature.
C. He did not give up his deity to become human. Yet upon his birth as a human being, he took the humble position of a slave.
D. What appeared on earth was not a prince in a palace, or a royal king, or a wealthy and scholarly teacher; instead, Jesus’ entire life was devoted to serving others. Jesus’ glory and divinity were veiled by his humanity and mortality (Barton 851).
B. Displaying Humility
1. Illustration: "Humility is the acceptance of the place appointed by God, whether it be in the front or in the rear."
2. True humility is saying to God, "Do with me whatever you will."
A. Matthew 26:39 (NLT)
He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
B. Jesus in his greatest hour of anguish, when he could have changed his mind and said, "Let's rethink this," instead said "Father, not my will, but yours be done!"
C. He didn't have to come to earth.
D. He didn't have to put up with being slandered and ridiculed by his own creation.
E. He didn't have to submit to the pain of human life.
F. Most of all, he didn't have to go to the cross.
G. But he did it anyway; he did it willingly.
H. He showed the greatest display of humility ever.
I. The question is are we willing to say, "Father, not my will, but yours be done!"
J. Are we willing to humble ourselves before God and do whatever he calls us to do?
K. Are we willing to do whatever needs to be done, even if it is out of our comfort zone?
L. Are we willing to submit to God's will and give up our own desires and plans?
M. If we are truly followers of Jesus the answer to all those questions should be a resounding "Yes!"
Transition: Do you have the willingness to be humble?
II. The Willingness To Obey (8).
A. Obedience To God
1. When we humble ourselves before God it leads us to something greater, a willingness to obey.
2. Obedience is our culture is seen as a cop out. What is prized in our society is "doing it my way."
A. We like to live outside of the box.
B. We like to say that rules are meant to be broken.
C. However, rules are there for our benefit. The rules say, "don't play with fire," because fire can burn us.
D. The rules say, "don't run in church," because someone could get hurt.
E. God rules say, "no sex outside of marriage," because it can lead to unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
F. God calls us to obedience because in the long run it is what's best for us.
3. No one exemplifies obedience more than Jesus. In v. 8 it says, "he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross."
A. When Jesus took on a human form, he then humbled himself to accomplish that task for which he had come—to die for sinful humanity in order that they might have eternal life.
B. He died a criminal’s death, but he was not a criminal. He took on that humiliation so that we might be saved. He died by the worst possible torture—death by crucifixion.
C. Death on a cross was the form of capital punishment that Romans used for notorious criminals. It was excruciatingly painful and humiliating.
D. Crucifixion was the most degrading form of execution, reserved for non-Roman criminals who were slaves or free persons of the lowest status (Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary – New Testament, Under: "Philippians 2:1-11 Be Servants like Christ").
E. In fact, the Roman Philosopher Cicero said, "To bind a Roman citizen is a crime; to flog him is an abomination; to slay him is almost an act of murder; to crucify him is - what? There is no fitting word that can possibly describe so horrible a deed."
F. Prisoners were nailed or tied to a cross and left to die. Death might not come for several days, and it usually came by suffocation when the weight of the weakened body made breathing more and more difficult.
G. Jesus died as one who was cursed.
H. Galatians 3:13 (NLT)
But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
I. But why did Jesus have to become human and have to die? A holy God cannot overlook sin. The sinfulness of humanity had to be punished.
J. In the Old Testament, God required his people to sacrifice animals (“perfect” animals, healthy and whole) to atone for their sins.
K. The costly sacrifice of an animal’s life impressed upon the sinner the seriousness of his or her sin before God. When animals’ blood was shed, God regarded the people’s faith and obedience, cleansed them, and made them ceremonially clean.
L. Why blood? There is no greater symbol of life than blood; blood keeps us alive. Instead of sending all humanity to eternal punishment, God took the punishment himself.
M. Jesus shed his blood—gave his life—for our sins so that we wouldn’t have to experience spiritual death and eternal separation from God (Barton, 851).
N. The obedience that characterized his entire human life found its definitive expression in his death on a cross. The emphasis on obedient to death points to his readiness, as one of us, to choose the path that led to a death "destined for our glory before time began" (1 Cor 2:7).
4. He subjected himself to the will of God, and wholly obeyed it. It was a characteristic of the Redeemer that he yielded perfect obedience to the will of God.
A. Should it be said that, if he was God himself, he must have been himself the lawgiver, we may reply, that this rendered his obedience the more wonderful and the more meritorious.
B. If a monarch should, for an important purpose, place himself in a position to obey his own laws, nothing could show in a more striking manner their importance in his view.
C. The highest honor that has been shown to the law of God on earth was, that it was perfectly observed by him who made the law—the great Mediator (Albert Barnes, Barnes' Notes on the New Testament, Under: "Philippians 2").
B. Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice
1. Illustration: A pastor named Warren Lamb said, "I used to have problems getting my son to clean his room. I would insist that he, "Do it now," and he would always agree to do so, but then he wouldn’t follow through – at least, not right way. After high school, he joined the Marine Corps, which is where he is now. When he and I were on the plane together coming home for his leave after Boot Camp, he said to me, "My life makes sense now, Dad. Everything you said and did when I was growing up now makes sense. I really, really understand." "Oh yeah, Dad," he added. "I learned what ‘now’ means."
2. Obedience is our willingness to say "Yes" to God no matter what he asks of us.
A. Deuteronomy 28:1 (NLT)
“If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the world.
B. A few weeks ago we had a visit from a missionary couple, the Hembrees, and told us how God called them into the mission field. They were willing to leave their church, uproot their children, and heed the call to go where God was leading them.
C. Yielding to God's will is not always easy, convenient or popular.
D. Often what God asks of us means doing things and going places that are difficult, and we will find many potholes and obstacles along the way.
E. But one thing we can be assured of is that the will of God will never call us where the grace of God cannot keep us.
F. Perhaps the will of God for you is not leaving for the mission field or going into ministry. Maybe it is just staying where you are and being faithful.
G. Maybe it's serving in the local church by teaching, serving, or cleaning the church.
H. Maybe it's making sure that you attend church every Sunday and Wednesday.
I. Whatever it maybe, be willing to obey God's will for you.
Transition: Are you willing to obey God's will?
III. The Willingness To Let God Lift You Up (9-11).
A. God Elevated Him
1. When we obey God good things happen.
A. This is evidenced in Scripture by the Israelites. When they obeyed God he blessed them, but when the disobeyed God they were cursed.
B. We can even see this in our own lives. When we obey the Word of God he blesses us. Like when we pay our tithes, God blesses us.
C. It is a clear theme in Scripture, when we obey God he blesses us.
2. We can clearly see this in Jesus obedience to the cross. In v. 9 it says, "Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,"
A. Because Christ willingly set aside his glory to totally obey the Father’s will, God raised him up to the heights of heaven.
B. God did not leave Christ in the grave but raised him from the dead, brought him back up to heaven, and glorified him.
C. God gave Jesus all authority and made him the Lord of both the dead and the living.
D. That Jesus’ name is above every other name refers not to Jesus’ title, but instead to his name that signifies his person.
E. In the Bible, names often reveal a person’s character. Jesus’ dignity and honor are above all others.
F. Because Jesus did not cling to his equality with God (2:6) but willingly obeyed God in order to carry out the plan of salvation, God honored that obedience by giving Jesus this name above all names (Barton , 851).
3. Paul continues in vv. 10-11 saying, "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."
A. In keeping with Jesus’ exaltation and power, one day every knee will bow before him.
B. In heaven refers to the angels; on earth means all humanity; under the earth refers to the underworld—possibly to unsaved people who have died or to demons.
C. Those who love Jesus will bow in adoration and worship; those who refused to acknowledge him will bow in submission and fear.
D. This will take place at Jesus’ second coming when the forces of evil will be completely defeated and God will form a new heaven and a new earth.
E. Paul purposely quoted Isaiah 45:23 here and in Romans 14:11. In so doing, he applied those powerful words to Jesus Christ.
F. Isaiah 45:23 (NLT)
I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to me.”
G. Romans 14:11 (NLT)
For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the LORD, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.’”
H. Isaiah, proclaiming the unique greatness of God, had said that the same God who would not share his glory with another would receive the homage of every living being.
I. Paul equated that position of God with Jesus’ preeminent lordship.
J. John 5:22-23 says that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Again Jesus’ true deity and oneness with the Father are revealed (Barton , 851).
K. We learn from Jesus' obedience that when we obey the will of God he lifts us up in honor.
B. God Will Lift You Up
1. Illustration: High in the Alps is a monument raised in honor of a faithful guide who died while ascending a peak to rescue a tourist. Inscribed on that stone are the words, "He died climbing." A mature growing Christian should have the same kind of attitude.
I want us all to "Die Climbing."
2. When we follow the example of Jesus in humility and obedience God lifts us up in honor.
A. 1 Peter 5:6 (NLT)
So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.
B. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said that those who like to pray and give to others in public to be seen by people have gotten all of the reward they are ever going to get.
C. But here Peter says to humble ourselves before God and at the right time God would lift us up in honor.
D. It is always better to let God praise you than to have people praise you.
E. The cheers of people are short lived and then they are gone.
F. However, when God lifts you up his rewards will last for all eternity.
G. Stay humble, submit to the will of God, and God will reward you beyond your wildest dreams.
Transition: Are you willing to let God lift you up?
Conclusion
1. The power of the cross is the willingness of Jesus to go to it.
A. He was willing to become like us to go to it.
B. He was willing to give up his divine privileges to go to it.
C. He was willing to submit to the physical and emotional pain to go to it.
2. In his willingness to go to the cross Jesus left us an example to follow...
A. The Willingness To Be Humble
B. The Willingness To Be Obedient
C. The Willingness To Let God Lift You Up
3. Where's your willingness to be humble before God?
4. How's your willingness to obey God no matter what?
5. Are you trying to lift yourself up or are you willing to let God do it?
