The Beauty of Sacrifice
Philippians 2:1-11
November 5, 2023
Israel Ziv was taking a bike ride on a beautiful Saturday morning when he started receiving a lot of alarming calls. He raced home, put on his uniform and grabbed his weapon, a 9 mm pistol.
He left his house, a beautiful home overlooking olive groves near Tel Aviv. Ziv is a retired general. He picked up a close friend, Noam Tibon, another retired general whose son was also trapped in a kibbutz.
Within minutes he was flying down a deserted highway in his new white Audi. As he neared the Gaza border, columns of black smoke rose in front of him, and the Israeli army was nowhere to be seen. Ziv said there were 100's of Hamas attackers - - - - shooting machine guns and rocket propelled grenades at him.
He drove his car straight into the battle zone, and started organizing a confused group of soldiers into a fighting unit and overseeing evacuations.
Ziv and Tibon linked up with a platoon of young soldiers, piled them into the Audi and began attacking Hamas gunmen on the road.
They rescued people including Tibon’s son, and saved the countless lives of people they didn’t know.
Whenever I hear a story like this, somebody putting their life on the line for someone else, for another group of people, it really moves me. It’s not a make believe scene from a movie, it’s real life.
Somebody is willing to say, “My life for yours.” Not just my life for me, or my life for me and a little group of friends I happen to like, but my life for yours. That’s the essence of sacrifice.
We live in a world filled with selfishness, corruption and violence - - - - not just globally, but watch the local news and it’s all around us, I wonder, how did it get this way?!
I wonder what part do I play in all of this. How much am I willing to sacrifice? Do I display courage in the face of adversity? How do I display grace, love, and even my frustrations, anger or disappointment? We all have a part to play.
I’m talking about a willingness to sacrifice for others. It’s part of what I talked about last week . . . . as we seek to make small, mini sacrifices in the name of Jesus. Rarely will we ever have to do what General Ziv did. Most of the time it’s those little sacrifices, we do them on a micro level, that become important over time.
Last week, we looked at Paul’s willingness to suffer in the name of Jesus. He preferred death, because he would be with Jesus. To live was to suffer, which means courage and sacrifice.
He also gave us a pep talk as the church - - - - stick together, be unified, put pettiness behind us and stand firm, as one body, not intimidated by the enemy, but stare your enemy down, and he’ll flee from you.
Displays of courage and sacrifice move us. We see flawed people, sinful people, perform amazing acts - - - - and it’s really a foretaste of the sacrificial love we find in the Bible.
It’s the story of the sacrificial love of God the Father sending his Son to die for our sins. Sacrifice isn’t easy, yet there’s a beauty to it, and that’s what I see in Philippians 2, as Paul tells us about the sacrifice of Jesus.
What motivates us, fuels us, and ignites a passion for us to live a life of sacrifice.
We’re going to start in Philippians 2:5, working our way through what’s called the Christ Hymn, then we’re going to look at what’s behind it. Paul wrote - - - -
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name,
10 so that 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. - Philippians 2:5-11
I want to look at these verses and help us see what Jesus was willing to do for us.
In verse 5, Paul wants us to have something. The goal in this passage is transformation. When you look at this passage, at it’s root, God wants to put the mind of Jesus Christ in your entire being.
Through the Holy Spirit that lives within us, Paul wants us to have the outlook of Jesus — how Jesus looks at the world, how Jesus thinks and reacts and loves - - - - God wants to put that into your mind, which then changes who you are.
He wants to put that mind of Jesus into you, so you start thinking a little bit more, acting a little bit more, feeling a little bit more ---- like Jesus. Theologically, it’s called sanctification - - - - it means we’re growing to be more and more like Jesus.
It’s not always easy to be changed. Many of us want change, but then we fight against it. It’s not always fun, yet, this is how the world is changed. The process is what we’re going to look at.
Verse 6 tells us though He (Jesus) was in the form of God . . .
Now, that may be a bit confusing. It doesn’t just mean that Jesus had the outward form of God, He was actually God in human flesh.
Paul wants us to understand that Jesus was fully God. Jesus was not part God, He was fully, 100% God, not some lesser version.
So if you were God, how would you act? We know God’s all-powerful. God can do whatever God wants to do. God is all knowing, God is everywhere at the same time. God is filled with grace, mercy, love.
We might say, I’ve got certain rights and privileges - - - - after all, I’m God! Some of my decisions might be a bit on the self serving side. Think about it if you could be a super hero, we’d probably take advantage of some things, maybe get a few extra side benefits. Nothing bad, just a few perks.
So how would Jesus act?
Well, here’s the rest of the verse - - - -
6 DSLIDEID NOT COUNT EQUALITY WITH GOD A THING TO BE GRASPED,
That last word, TO BE GRASPED literally means - - - the act of seizing; especially by force.
So, Paul’s telling us - - - - Jesus could have forced the issue at being equal with God while on Earth, and not sacrificing Himself. He could have forcefully seized equality, while being a man. BUT He didn’t. He was entitled to it, He could have just grabbed it and said ‘it’s mine!’ BUT HE DIDN’T!!
So Paul’s saying that Jesus did not act the way we may think God would act by just grabbing all the privileges He’s entitled to. Or, how we might have acted if we were in His situation.
Instead, Paul continues in this hymn, telling us in verse 7 - - - -
7 but EMPTIED HIMSELF, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Instead of grasping for what was rightly His, instead of filling Himself with glory, honor and prestige, Jesus did what? He emptied Himself, basically saying - - - “I’m going to give my life for yours.”
What is God like? The New Testament says — — look at Jesus. That’s exactly what God is like. So what did Jesus do? He emptied Himself.
It’s important to know that Jesus didn’t empty Himself of being God. When Jesus became a human being He didn’t become less God, 50% God instead of 100% God. He’s still fully God.
Paul is stressing that Christ, who had all the privileges that were rightly His as king of the universe, gave them up to become an ordinary Jewish baby bound for the cross. While Jesus had every right to stay comfortably where He was, in a position of power, because of His love, He embraced a position of weakness for you and I. The “emptying” consisted of his becoming human, not of his giving up any part of His true deity.
Paul added - - - -
7 but emptied Himself, BY TAKING THE FORM OF A SERVANT, being born in the likeness of men.
So Jesus became a human being, but not just any ordinary human being, not just a remarkable, rich, powerful, or privileged person.
He poured Himself into a very ordinary human being, and even less than ordinary. He became a servant!! In Greek, it’s the word for slave. If you passed Jesus on the street, there would be nothing about Him which would stand out. He was an ordinary person.
So Jesus is God. With all the rights and privileges afforded to the God of all creation. So, how does God show who He really is? By pouring Himself out for the sake of others. My life for yours.
This is sacrifice! Paul says in verse 8 - - - -
8 And being found in human form, He HUMBLED Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Jesus humbled Himself. He didn’t seize what was rightly His. Jesus was fully obedient. He lived the life we should have lived. He ran the race we should have run, but He did it consistently perfectly.
None of us have done that. We’re inconsistent. Sometimes we want to do what God wants; sometimes . . . . we don’t. Sometimes we know what God wants and we just flat out say, “Nope, forget it. I’m doing it my way.” Jesus consistently did it God the Father’s way.
Obedience is a huge word. It’s a straight forward word, but if we were to be honest, we don’t always like that word. I want to be obedient when I want to, when I’m good and ready, not at someone else’s request. We don’t want to help someone who won’t help themselves. We pick and choose . . . . we’re not perfectly consistent, not even close.
That’s who we are and that’s exactly why we need a Savior!
Not only was Jesus, obedient even to the point of death, but “even death on a cross.”
In the Roman world, there was no place lower than death on a cross. People in those days didn’t walk around with crosses on. It wasn’t a piece of jewelry; it was reserved for low-lifes, rejects and rebels.
The Romans were horrified by it; Jewish people believed that anybody that hangs on a cross is accursed. And yet there He is, hanging on the cross, death on a cross.
God was demonstrating in Jesus that there’s no place too low for God to go, in order to reach rebellious, broken, sinful people. There’s no place too low. You can’t go any lower than Jesus went. You can’t start any higher; you can’t go any lower.
That’s who our God is. Verse 8 ends with a thud! DEATH ON A CROSS!! It’s like a door slamming shut. We’re left in silence, defeat, and rejection. It looks absolutely hopeless!
Then we come to verse 9 - - - -
9 Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name,
Does that mean Jesus got a promotion? Like God the Father said, “Oh, you did such a good job I’m going to promote you now.” Nope!
It’s the way God is . . . Jesus’ humiliation became the grounds for His exaltation. By humbling Himself on the cross, Jesus demonstrated that He truly shared the divine nature of God.
For this reason God raised Jesus to life and highly exalted Him, entrusting Him to rule the cosmos and giving Him the name that is above every name.
This is the deepest story at the heart of the Bible’s message — God overflows with self-giving, sacrificial love.
God says, “My life for yours.”
When we allow God to be in control, true humility always results in exaltation. Not necessarily right away, but eventually. God is doing what God always does, which is to lift up the humble.
Jesus said, if you want to live, you must be willing to lose your life for my sake. That’s what we’re talking about. Jesus couldn’t go any lower, but in the end, you can’t get any higher than Jesus.
He starts higher, He goes lower, and He ends up higher than anybody. The name above every name.
So that’s the story, that’s the gospel story - - - - my life for yours. The point of this is not to just be inspired; not just to move us. I want us to be excited and passion filled.
I want us to be caught up with the power of the Holy Spirit because of Jesus . . . . so we desire to live a life like Jesus, a life where we want to pour out our lives in sacrifice for others. It means we are changed, transformed. We gain this desire, this courage to live a life of sacrifice, which then changes the world.
So, in the last few minutes, let me give you the application for this. It comes in the beginning of the passage. In Philippians 2, Paul wrote - - - -
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
This passage has SACRIFICE written all over it.
There’s nothing wrong with ambition. I want all of us to be ambitious. But self-ambition is when ambition runs backwards. It gets twisted by our wants and selfish desires. It becomes all about us and we hurt those around us.
Paul says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition.” Why? Because of who Christ is, because of who you are in Him. He emptied Himself, can you do that as well? Jesus didn’t have selfish ambition - - - - He had a selfless ambition to serve you.
Paul adds, “do nothing from conceit.” The word conceit literally means ‘empty glory.’ It’s that craving we have to get all the glory. We want to be recognized / affirmed; we want people to tell us how great we are. We’re famished for it! But unfortunately, it becomes a never-ending quest.
Then Paul says, “Look not only to your own interests …” I love that because it assumes that you’re going to look for your own interests. Again, there’s nothing wrong with looking out for you. I hope you do!
I love how realistic Paul is, he understands we need to look out for ourselves, but his point is . . . . don’t just look out for you! But start looking to the interests of others and actually - - - - - and here’s where he’s stepping on our toes. He said ---
IN SLIDEHUMILITY COUNT OTHERS MORE
SIGNIFICANT THAN YOURSELVES
Do you see how difficult that is!? We want it to be about us, that’s what all the advertisements want for us. Think about you first, then think about yourself a bit more . . . . and if you have time, throw some bread crumbs out there.
But that’s not the way of Jesus.
I read some statistics on selfishness this week. One survey said 71% of millennials (25- 40) are selfish. Everybody loves beating up on millennials. But, I don’t believe that.
Here’s what I believe, 100% of us are selfish. Does that surprise you? We all struggle with this. It’s the human condition in a fallen world. 100 % of us. But Jesus wants to deliver 100 % of us.
There’s probably some of you going through a season or a journey of sacrifice that’s really deep and painful.
Maybe it’s caring for a child; maybe it’s a struggling marriage. Maybe it’s a struggle to just get out of bed everyday. It could be some poor choices you’ve made. Maybe you’re following Jesus and it’s been costly and a lot of people think you’re crazy, and why would you do that. It’s caring for someone who’s struggling.
You’re in a deep season of sacrifice. Let me say from the heart of this passage that God knows what you’re going through, and that if you’re with Jesus, He promises to be with you in the tough seasons of life. As you walk with Jesus, you may really be questioning and struggling. But know this . . . .
. . . . You will also walk with Him through vindication. You will also walk with Him through exaltation. Just as Jesus went low to high, you’re going low and you will go high. Just as Jesus had tears, the tears turned to joy, your tears will turn to joy.
Just as Jesus’ defeat was turned to vindication, your sacrifice will turn to vindication. Just as brokenness turns to healing, the same for you. God is not finished with your story yet. Paul wants us to learn that when we go low, God is going to bring us out of that as well.
I pray this morning that all of us will have a Holy Spirit awakening. Maybe the Lord is awakening you to a certain pattern, a certain way of your life, a certain area of your life that’s gotten really twisted, it’s gotten really curved in on yourself, and it’s really all about you and you’re focused on “my life for me.”
Maybe it’s with your time, maybe it’s with your finances, maybe it’s with your career, or social media. You fill in that blank. The work of the Spirit wants to awaken us to our need for Jesus.
So the message is don’t try harder to be like Jesus. The message is: Look to Jesus, receive from Jesus, ask Jesus to make you more like Him. May He make us people that are truly able to live lives where we are free to sacrifice.
We may not have to go into battle like General Ziv, our battles look different, but they are still battles, and my hope for you is that you trust the work of Jesus, the hope and power and strength that He gives you . . . today, tomorrow, always!
