The oldest hymn part one- Humility and unity. WBC 29/01/06 am
Philippians 2:1-11 (esp vv 1-8)
Well- did I get the cream, today, or what?
- one of the most fantastic passages in the Bible
- tremendously practical. Tremendous Christology
o Jesus: nature/form God. Nature/form servant/human
o The One who, after his willing subjugation, is raised, exalted - and before whom angels, men, demons and the realm of the dead will bow the knee and cry "you are Lord!" (come tonight!)
- stacks of songs/hymns from this
Not surprising- as virtually everyone thinks this (v 5-11) is an old Hymn in itself. Paul is citing something that had been around for a while
- so: eat your heart out Dan Browne and anyone who thinks that the concept of Jesus "being in very nature God" is a latter construct (ie from Council of Nicea 325AD)
o THIS has to be pre 62AD
Why do folks think it’s a hymn? (because the NIV prints it that way?!)
- different language to Paul’s. Words found nowhere else
- stress on words falls in such a way as to give rhythm & meter to it
Show example- PPT (clipped in at end of sermon)
so- this is hymn, liturgical confession. As early as you can get.
So- why put it in here?
- v1 starts off ’therefore’ or ’since’. So, this is an illustration/expansion on something. What?
o PHP 1:27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ
- act consistently. Particularly in your relationships with others
RECEIVED A BLESSING?
He basically says- if you’ve received any form of blessing from God
- …. And then he names four
1. any blessing… encouragement (paraclesis)… of Jesus being near to you. Feeling united with Him (v1 a)…..
2. Or you have felt comforted by His love (v 1a)…..
3. Or any blessing of the Spirit, fellowship with Him….
4. or any "bowels and mercies" (v2). Love that! Bowels being the centre of emotions to these guys. If you’ve received any subjective, internal blessing from God….
Fantastic, eh?
- fourfold appeal to evidence of God working
- and he’s not poo-pooing blessing. In fact- I think he’s affirming that God’s people need a good blessing! YOU need blessing, and God wants to bless you!
- Of course, we’d use different words, nowadays, but it’s not so dissimilar:
o "If you’ve had a bless up from God… or God has touched your life in any way… or you feel you’re pretty blessed, anointed"
then show it this way. Let this be the evidence of it. (otherwise it’s all a waste of time)
RESPOND IN UNITY
In fact- he gives four ’’responses’, that correspond with his four examples of blessing
- brilliant! (but shows he’s not a Baptist, or there’d be 3 all beginning with ’c’)!
…and they are all centred around loving one another, being one with oneanother
- would have been an apt text for last Sunday (unity Sunday)
so- ’if any unity with Christ-then have the mind of Christ and be (v2) "like minded!"
- what’s this saying? Do we have to all be the same? Feel the same on everything all the time?
o No! But if you don’t work through BEYOND your own opinions, differences, to find out what God really thinks is important - all the blessing in the world is a waste of time!
o Eg: there are those who consider themselves SO blessed but then spend their time engrossed in themselves, self-indulgent, elitist and looking down on others… or criticising others’ theology minutely
" While others who look on, needing Jesus, can’t get a look in!
o Or a those who are ’moving in the Spirit’, but leave a trail of collateral damage behind them. IS that God?
- Basically -if your blessing doesn’t make you love the Lord, the "lost" and His people more- it’s all been a waste of time. Doesn’t matter how ’good the worship’ was!
- The moving of God’s HS brings people together, more, not drives them apart
I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump. I ran over and said: "Stop. Don’t do it."
"Why shouldn’t I?" he asked.
"Well, there’s so much to live for!"
"Like what?"
"Are you religious?"
He said: "Yes."
I said: "Me too. Are you Christian or Buddhist?"
"Christian."
"Me too. Praise the Lord! Are you Catholic or Protestant?"
"Protestant."
"Me too. Praise Jesus! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?"
"Baptist."
"Wow. Me too. Hallelujah! Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?"
"Baptist Church of God."
"Me too. Glory to God! Are you original Baptist Church of God, or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?"
"Reformed Baptist Church of God."
"Me too. Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915?"
He said: "Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915."
I said: "Die, heretic infidel scum," and pushed him off.
2. If any comfort from His love- have the same love
- have God’s love for one another. It is THE most important thing (enough said). Sure ’truth’ matters, too- but note Jesus was full of ’grace and truth’. Both are needed
3. If any fellowship with the Spirit- be one in your spirits and in purpose
5. If any bowels and mercies- don’t do anything out of ’self-seeking quarrelsomeness or vain conceit.
So- if God’s at work in your lives- let’s see it in these responses/attitudes
- of considering others above yourself.
That’s a hard order, eh?! "in humility consider others better than yourself"
- now: get this strait. This is not talking about weakness… false humility
o "Oh, I’m a worm and you’re so great"
- that’s how the world pre-Jesus would have seen this. Apparently "humility" was a bad thing! Weakness. It was Jesus who first taught it was a virtue!
o It’s not about how you see YOURSELF. It’s how you see THEM
o And it’s how you ACT about yourself. Your rights
And here’s the example. The incentive. /// It’s in the hymn
REACT LIKE CHRIST
V5 "think this way among yourselves, as also in Christ Jesus" (lit)
- … and act like He would. WWJD
You see- it’s not about rights. My rights. My blessing
- Jesus was in very nature God. True God. "Form of God", lit
o Existing as The Son, God, before he came to earth
- But He didn’t think of His rights. He was thinking of us and our salvation
o So, He held lightly to His equality with God. Did not feel he had to ’hold onto it’ (harpagmon) and stay in heaven
- In stead (v7) He ’made Himself nothing’
…. Literally ’emptied himself’.
- what of? What did God the Son give up in coming to earth?
- Truth is, we don’t fully know. Here it summarises it as ’taking the nature of a servant’…. But it’s also fair to assume he
o Gave up His security. Outward glory. Omnipresence (of course). Omniscience? (I think so. I think Jesus didn’t know everything when He was down here). Omnipotence? (very likely "He could do no miracles there…")
Wesley describes it as ’emptied Himself of all but love…"
You may (or may not!) want to know that there is a word for this debate. It’s called the kenotic theory
- because ’emptied Himself’ is ’ekenosen’
- and generally it is thought that Jesus operated down here with no divine advantage. (though He was divine). In all things He operated as a man…
o … but a sinless one. He never tripped up
- so, He literally felt and acted as we do…can
I dunno! Dunno it all- but I’m ever so glad He did it! Aren’t you?
- He took the nature of a servant
- Full humanity. "human likeness". (ie both man and God)
And where Adam, and Satan fell because they tried to conquer through their rights, pride, pushing themselves forward… taking the apple… trying to ’be like God’ (Gen 3:5) "like the most high" (Is 14:14)
- Jesus refused to take the glory… bow to Satan… throw Himself off the temple… hold onto it all… push himself forward
o Instead He conquered by laying it aside, humbling Himself (in His whole life)… and finally in death
…even death on a cross. (perhaps Paul’s own addition- as he’s so into the cross)
- the most painful death (from a gentile perspective)
- a curse (from the Jewish perspective)
Because He was thinking about OUR needs. Our curse
- and He bore it for us.
- Conquered THAT way!
ISA 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
ISA 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
So- got a blessing from Jesus?
- then, show it by responding like Jesus
- and be one with one another.
"Jesus calls us to His rest, and meekness is his method. The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort. The rest Christ offers is the rest of meekness, the blessed relief which comes when we accept ourselves for what we are and cease to pretend. It will take some courage at first, but the needed grace will come as we learn that we are sharing in this new and easy yoke with the strong Son of God Himself."
SOURCE: A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
1. Being in the form of God
He considered it not a thing to be seized
To be equal with God
2. but emptied Himself,
by taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness.
3. And appearing on earth, as a Man,
He humbled Himself,
Becoming obedient unto death (indeed, death on a cross).
4. Wherefore God exalted Him,
and bestowed upon Him the Name
that is above every name;
5. That in the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
of things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth,
6. And every tongue confess:
"Jesus Christ is Lord",
to the glory of God the Father
