FULL OR EMPTY
Text: Philippians 2:5 - 11
The late Bishop Fulton J. Sheen was greeted by a burst of applause when he made his appearance as a speaker at a meeting in Minneapolis. He responded by saying: “Applause before a speaker begins is an act of faith. Applause during the speech is an act of hope. Applause after he has concluded is an act of charity.” (James S. Hewett. ed. Illustrations Unlimited. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. ). How many times have you known people who like applause? We all like applause. Who does not want the accolades of a crowd's applause? There will be times when we all need our spirits lifted. It is nice to be applauded for something when we need our spirit lifted. It is another thing altogether to live like we are full of ourselves.
There is a difference between being full and being empty. There is also a difference between being empty and emptying one's self.
The crowd cheered Jesus on as He rode to Jerusalem. Every once in while a poll is taken to determine the President of our nation's approval and his progress. "A life that is based only on applause, the plaudits of the crowd, has no foundation, because this approval is not lasting. It changes. Jesus did not seek to please the crowd, although the crowd at that moment was pleased with Him. But, that same crowd would not more than five days later be shouting "crucify Him." The person who bases his life on a desire to please everyone discovers first of all that this is impossible, because people have conflicting and contradictory desires." (Wallace T. Viets. Seven Days That Changed The World. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962, p.19). The crowds shouted "Hosanna" as they showed their approval of Him. Hosanna means "save now." Although they shouted Hosanna, it was their paving of the road on which He traveled with palm branches and cloaks that they showed their praise and approval of Him. Someone has noted that "Hosanna" was not a cry of praise to Jesus, but "... a cry to God to break in and save His people now that the Messiah had come" (Barclay from The Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel Of Mark, p. 268). The irony is that Jesus came as God in human flesh to give us the gift of salvation for in the person of Jesus Christ God had truly "broken in" to bring salvation to all who were willing to receive it. But, those in the crowd were thinking of physical salvation and geographical conquest. Jesus came to us as a Prince of Peace to reconcile all who would be reconciled to God which was and is both a spiritual salvation and conquest.
FULL
How well do we follow the in the footsteps of Jesus emptying ourselves in loving service to others? Someone (William Barclay) once said, “If humility, obedience, and self-renunciation were supreme characteristics of the life of Jesus, they must also be the hallmarks of the Christian. Selfishness, self-seeking and self-display destroy our likeness to Christ and our fellowship with each other.” (William Barclay. The Daily Study Bible Series: LetterTo The Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians. Revised Edition. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975, p. 38). This is why the apostle Paul exhorts us to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5).
Have you ever known somebody who was what we call “full of himself or herself?” History books are filled with people who were “full of themselves”. Alexander the Great was full of himself. He succeeded his father Philip to the throne of Macedonia at the age of 20. He died at the age of 33 demanding to be remembered as divine [a god]. (Tom Wright. Paul For Everyone: The Prison Letters. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 202004, p. 101). We would say that he meets the criteria to be considered full of himself!
Paul had a contemporary bigwig who was full of himself. It has been said that the closest thing to Alexander in Paul's day was the Emperor Augustus who was known for putting an end the log-running Roman civil war and brought peace to the known world. (Tom Wright. Paul For Everyone: The Prison Letters. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 202004, p. 101). Like Alexander, he too, wanted to be regarded as divine.
There are people in modern times who have been full of themselves. Muhammad Ali was in his prime, and as he was about to take off on an airplane flight, the stewardess reminded him to fasten his seat belt. He came back brashly, “Superman don’t need no seat belt.” The stewardess quickly came back, “Superman don’t need no airplane, either.” Ali fastened his belt. (James S. Hewett. ed. Illustrations Unlimited. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. ). We could go on and on with a list a list of people who we think are full of themselves. But, what about us?
Do we ever stop to consider our own conceit or how we are full of ourselves? Why is it that we do not like those kinds of questions? Could it be that they are what people call those “gotcha questions”? Do we harbor any selfish ambition our hearts? Do we prefer recognition of others to serving others? Do our prayers lack strength because they lack the nature of a servant? Does our work lack power because it does not conform to God’s character? Does our fellowship lack unity because we fail to look out for the interest of those around us? (Questions italicized are paraphrased ideas inspired by the following: Chris Tiegreen. The One Year Walk With God Devotional. Carol Stream: Illinois, 2004, p. 80). What does our internal inventory look like when we seek to answer these questions?
EMPTY
Obviously, the opposite of full is empty. Paul tells us that Jesus emptied himself taking the form of a servant. Jesus Christ is the prince of peace who became a pauper---a bondservant. As someone (Edward R. Roustio) said, Jesus's “... humanity was the vehicle through which he manifested Himself as a slave. … Christ had all the qualities which Adam had before he sinned, but not the sinful nature which came through Adam's fall. When slaves were executed, they were crucified.” (Jerry Falwell. Executive ed. The Complete Bible Commentary. Edawrd R Roustio. “The Epistle To The Philippians.” Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999, p. 1590). Some have speculated that Jesus emptied Himself of His Deity. (Roustio, p. 1590). Christ stooped from the glory of heaven, making Himself o f no reputation---being obedient even to the point of death on a cross. Consider 2 Corinthians 8:9: “For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your [our] sakes He became poor, so that by His poverty you [we] might become rich” (NIV). Jesus emptied Himself in loving service to others.
Empty means more than just the opposite of full. The word empty can be an adjective, or a verb. When used as an adjective the word empty means void, or blank. When used as a verb, empty is a word of action. How many people do you know who feel empty of meaning or purpose? Jesus emptied Himself taking the form of a servant. Jesus was active in emptying Himself through His acts of love and service.
How well do we follow the in the footsteps of Jesus emptying ourselves in loving service to others? Someone (William Barclay) once said, “If humility, obedience, and self-renunciation were supreme characteristics of the life of Jesus, they must also be the hallmarks of the Christian. Selfishness, self-seeking and self-display destroy our likeness to Christ and our fellowship with each other.” (William Barclay. The Daily Study Bible Series: Letter To The Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians. Revised Edition. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975, p. 38). This is why the apostle Paul exhorts us to have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5).
How can we relate this passage of scripture to Palm Sunday? Someone (G. Campbell Morgan) once said, “To have the mind of Christ is to have love as the ultimate reason for everything said, and everything done, and everything desired.” (G. Campbell Morgan. The Westminster Pulpit. 80th Anniversary Edition. Volume 4. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 2006 reprint, p. 237). As Christ entered Jerusalem, He knew He would be crucified. Those in the crowds lay palm branches before Him and greeted Him as a king. They greeted Him as a king on a war horse. We cannot call Him our Lord, unless He is our Master. We cannot call Him Lord, unless we surrender our very hearts and lives to the one and only King of kings and Lord of lords. We should be suspicious of anything that keeps us from having the mind of Christ! What the world calls foolish is God's wisdom! If we do not accept God's wisdom, we cannot have the mind of Christ! (G. Campbell Morgan, pp. 237 – 238, paraphrased). As it has been said many times, “if Jesus is to be our Lord, He must be Lord of all or He cannot be our Lord at all.” Jesus emptied Himself completely when He died on the cross as He paid the price for our sins. How well are we denying ourselves and picking up our crosses and following after Him? Do we live our lives in such a way that Jesus gets applause? In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
