“For Heaven’s Sake – Have a Heart!”
Philippians 2: 5-11
Introduction
[Create Interest]
Have a few colored glass bottles or glassware. Hold them up to the congregation, explaining that we often view ourselves, as we desire to see ourselves instead of the way God sees the work He is doing in us. We often view ourselves in a different light, the most positive light, the most “Christian”, the most “humble”, the most “good”. We see the work God has done in us and we acknowledge the potters hand – and we are grateful for God’s grace. Place the glassware into a bag and get out the sledgehammer. So we can become content in who we are very easily.
But then the Lord allows us to face trials (begin using the sledgehammer to break the glass into pieces) and turbulence…hardships and difficulties. He begins a work of brokenness in us. We may question God and ask Him “Why?” But be unable to see that He is changing us into a more beautiful vessel, which shines his light! Switch bags, reach in and grab the stain glass sun catchers and show that the broken pieces often are reassembled to make a thing of beauty but we have to allow God to do the work within us.
[Create Need]
Brokenness is the pressure God uses to continually make us into the image of His Son. Jesus experienced brokenness – not because He had to – but because He wanted to – so that He may work His righteousness in us. When we go through times of brokenness, Jesus is using trials to perfect us into the beauty of His image. We then need to approach brokenness as Jesus did – through a heart set towards the cross.
[Subject]
Jesus set his heart toward the cross for our benefit. We need to remember what He has done for us so that He may work through us and change us.
Homiletical Purpose
[Orientation to the Biblical Text]
Lets turn to Philippians 2:5-11. I believe the text is calling on us to experience the heart of Jesus more deeply as He humbled himself and set his heart toward the cross. Read Text
[Structural Overview]
You see, God calls each of us to pick up our crosses and follow Christ: To give as Jesus gave, to live as Jesus lives, to love as Jesus loves. In so doing God will take our brokenness and grant us great honor.
[Transition]
…And He begins this process by changing our hearts when we re-visit His cross.
Body
I. [2:5-8] If you want to have a heart like Christ’s, then God will require you to set you heart toward the cross.
A. [2:6] Setting your heart toward the cross means GIVING LIKE JESUS GAVE.
1. Jesus did not demand his own way, though he was God, he did not cling to his rights – he gave himself wholly to the Fathers plan and will
2. If we desire Jesus’ heart within us – He expects the same. The first thing we must give to him is our proud, stubborn, unyielding hearts – our hearts must first be broken to do his will.
a) To give like Jesus gave means to die like Jesus died. Die to our own self and self -attitudes.
b) The willingness of Jesus to be broken for us is our motive to be broken to.
c) Though he is God – He gave himself for us. He let his glory go to take upon himself the form of a servant. The Creator –serving His Creation! Who can measure such grace! Even the angels in heaven desire to look down and understand such a thing!
3. To give God ourselves – so wholly and completely to our Father is to give like Jesus gave. Yes, we must set our hearts to the cross in the same obedience to the will of the Father that Jesus displayed when he set his heart toward the cross.
a) As we look honestly at our Christian lives, we can see how much of this self there is in each of us.
b) It is the self who tries and tries in our own power to live the Christian life. (“I’m doing, I’m trying, and I’m striving”). But it’s not us or anything in us! The wonder is that even our attempt to give ourselves to God is only a result of His divine work in us! Look at verse 13!
c) It is the self who is always irritable, envious, resentful, critical and anxious and worried. When Jesus gave himself to the Father He never once showed these characteristics of self.
d) As long as self is in control – God can do little with us but lead us to the cross!
e) Each time we re-visit the cross we see Christ’s heart. It is at the cross of Jesus that we see that our hard, proud self has caused God pain.
(Trans) Set your heats toward the cross this morning! Give yourself wholly to God. Lay down self and gaze into the Saviors eyes and determine to give yourselves completely to God!
B. [2:7] Setting your heart toward the cross means Living Like Jesus Lives.
1. The Bible says “He made himself nothing…or “He laid aside his mighty power and glory” humbling himself before his creation…Amazing! God did this for me!
2. Jesus…willing to let evil men revile him…and not revile in return! Jesus…willing to let men tred upon him…and not retaliate in return!
3. (have them visualize…see!) Listen! If you will for a second…listen to Jesus speak. Hear the very word of God spoken through his lips…his word of grace and wisdom on the Sermon on the Mount. But in the distance is a growling thunder of his accusers! They say is a “drunk! A friend of prostitutes, addicts, and sinners! They accuse the marvelous gracious Son of God as being possessed by the Devil! They accuse him of being crazy…a lunatic! He is slandered, abused, persecuted. On trial before men as he nears the cross - mark his shame! Men spitting on him, striking him! Mocking him! Pulling out his beard! On the cross see his hands bleeding because the nails have pierced his wrists…naked without a covering.
4. How did Jesus respond…how did he live before us? “Father, forgive them…they don’t know what they do!”
a) Not like us…Next to the way Jesus lives we are a lot like snakes! Step on a snake and it rears itself up, hisses and tries to strike back. There was not one ounce of animosity in His bones…
b) John records in his gospel – chapter 1verse 14 that Jesus became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness…and we have seen His glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father.
5. To set our heart toward the cross and live like Jesus lives means to constantly die to self, it will be a constant dying for only then can the Lord Jesus be constantly revealed through us.
6. All day long the choice will be before us in a thousand ways – to live like Jesus lives means a constant yielding to those around us.
C. [2:8] Setting your heart toward the cross means loving like Jesus loves.
1. It means loving difficult people when all they do is make your life difficult!
2. It is said, “If there is to be any blessing, there must be some bleeding.” Loving like Jesus loves always costs us something – usually the cost is our own selfish pride…I have found that selfishness in us always dies a slow death as we surrender to Christ’s Lordship.
3. If you will look closely at Jesus’ sermon on the mount, he taught us the essence of Agape love…that is loving as He loves: non-retaliation (the non-reactive life), loving our enemies (and that can be a hard one!) selfless giving (Gods love in action) and to be a follower of Christ then when we love as Jesus loved then these must be our position.
4. His love demonstrated to us led him to obedience to a cruel cross. But it was his love for us that caused him to humble himself- even to his death.
5. He told us that if we are to follow him…we are to do the same 38” and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
6. At a religious festival in Brazil, a missionary was going from booth to booth examining the wares. He saw a sign above one booth “Cheap Crosses” He thought to himself, “That’s what many Christians are looking for these days –cheap crosses.” My Lords cross was not cheap. Why should mine be?
[Trans] Loving Like Jesus Loves will mean carrying the weight of a cross but God will grant you Honor if you do.
II. [2:9-11] If you want to have a heart like Christ’s God will require humility before He gives you Honor.
A. [2:9] The “Heights of Heaven” are only scaled by following in the footsteps of suffering.
1. Warren Wiersbe said, “It is one of the paradoxes of the Christian life that the more we give, the more we receive, the more we sacrifice, the more God blesses. This means sharing his joy as we also share in His suffering. It will always cost us something to be a real Christian.
2. Peter told tells us 1PE 4:12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Can a disciple be above his Master? Yet God promises us that if we follow in the footsteps of Christ’s suffering we will share in His glory. In fact. The Holy Spirit will rest upon us along with the glory of God. To have a heart like Christ’s will require us to walk where he walked…to experience suffering for His sake. Not a really popular message to teach today is it? But its God’s promise all the same. To ascend the Heights of Heaven means walking through plenty of valley’s first.
B. [2:10-11] But God grants honor to those who have the heart of the cross… and what an honor it is!
1. Proverbs tells us: PR 15:33 The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom,
and humility comes before honor
2. Have you ever considered why? We cannot handle honor unless we go through the school of humility. If we try to skip classes in humility –we may obtain honor but we will be people full of self and full of pride. Proverbs 15:33 tells us the principal that it is the Lord who teaches a person humility.
3. It is important that we understand what the Bible means by humility. The humble person is not one who thinks himself humble; he simply does not think of himself at all!
4. Andrew Murray said, “ Humility is that grace that, when you know you have it, you have lost it.”
5. If we set our hearts to the cross…no matter how hard it may be. The hand that put on the crown on Christ’s head, will one day put a crown on ours; that same
Mighty One who crowned Christ “King of Kings and Lord of Lords,” will crown us if we set our hearts toward his cross.
6. Paul said “ I know!… there is laid up for me a crown of glory which does not fade away, which God the righteous judge shall give me in that day.” My brother, my sister…set your heart toward the cross and God will give you a crown!
“ If on my face for his dear name,
Shame and reproach shall be,
I’ll hail reproach and welcome shame
For he’ll remember me.”
Trans – Indeed, “It will be worth it all…when we see Jesus…life’s trials will seem so small, when we see Christ. One look on His dear face, all sorrow will be erased, so let us run the race…till we see Christ. I imagine that the honor God will grant will cause all the cross bearing we carry now to be worth it.
Conclusion
I. So…”For Heavens sake – Have a Heart!” …a heart set toward the cross.
A. Give yourself to God…Like Jesus gave.
B. Determine to live…like Jesus lives
C. Begin to love…like Jesus loves.
II. In His book – “The Calvary Road” Roy Hesson wrote
“Lord, bend that proud and sufficient I,
Help me to bow the head and die;
Beholding Him on Calvary,
Who bowed His head for me.”
What is it costing you to be a Christian? What do you need to yield to God?
Is it a stubborn will? A selfish heart? A proud attitude? A need to give yourself fresh and new to Him – so that He may live through you?
Then start anew today! Yield it to Jesus now! Spend some time with God.
