We will look at one of the greatest passages on our Lord Jesus Christ and we will look at what he did in paying the penalty for your sin and my sin. This is not a story of rags to riches but one who went from Majesty to Humility.
In the book of Philippians Paul
has been exhorting his readers to a lifestyle of humility and to put
aside selfish interests. He had been encouraging them in this way of
humility and now in his final argument for this call to humility he
draws upon the greatest example ever known, the example of Jesus Christ.
We are going to examine the great example of Jesus Christ and what He
did to go the dramatic distance of the Majesty of God to a despicable
criminals death on the cross, for our sake.
Let's bow our heads in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
Father, thank You for this powerful and convicting Word today. Help us to see our sin for what it is, an act of rebellion against You. Remind us that we all share the life of the Holy Spirit in us. It's His life in us. He regenerated us. He sanctifies us. He strengthens us. He gives us the gifts, the power and the resources for everything that we do.Therefore, let us do it all in love and humility, putting first the needs of others, knowing and believing that You will provide for Your own, as You have promised.
In John 2, He filled six empty jars. "Now six stone water jars had been set there for Jewish purification. Each contained 20 or 30 gallons. “Fill the jars with water,” Jesus told them. So they filled them to the brim. Then He said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the chief servant.” And they did."
The joy that the world has to offer is only temporary, it always runs out, and the result is always a void left over emptiness. But the joy of the Lord is ever new and ever satisfying! The miraculous joy of Jesus Christ, however, never runs out. He gives us His best from the start, and somehow, causes the joy grow and become even better!
Open with your Bibles with me if you will to the second chapter of the book of Philippians. I believe that this is a very significant portion of the Word of God, which describes for us the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. While they do give us a standard to follow, a model in humility, they also tell us the truth about the incarnation, the greatest miracle that God ever performed was when He became man that He might die for us. And we would do injustice to this great text if we were not to treat it in some way in the measure of its theological truth.
I would like to encourage you to follow along with me as I read, to get the text set in our minds. Philippians 2:5-11.
"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Jesus became for us, the perfect model of humiliation. He is the perfect fulfillment of verses 3 and 4, one who does nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, one who will humility of mind regards others as more important than himself, one who looks not on his own things alone but on the things of others also. And in that He is our example. But there is more here than just that. However, we will be not so much focusing on the model of humiliation but the actual humiliation itself.
In verse 5, "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus."
Here Paul says, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." In other words you should think those thoughts that Christ thought. You should have the mind of Christ that was expressed in the incarnation. By incarnation we mean when Holy God became man. That is the attitude we should have, an attitude of humility that makes us willing to give up what we have for the sake of others. However, we live in a culture that tends to think of our own self-interests. We tend to think only of our own rights. We have created a "Me first generation." Everyone thinking of his or her own needs and not about those of others.
This is the time we need when we need to look to the example of Jesus Christ, Who is the ultimate example of true humility. There was no limit to the amount of humility that He demonstrated. Despite His divine majesty, He removed those heavenly robes and came down to us in the form of humanity.
In verse six, we see the emphasis on the great majesty of Christ. It says, "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped." It said He is in very nature God. Jesus is God almighty. If you are really going to appreciate the true humility of Jesus Christ the key is to grasp this aspect of Jesus that He was almighty God. "Who, being in the very nature God" That's where the incarnation begins. That's the point from which He descends and condescends.
It means His deepest being, what He is in Himself, His essential being. This statement then is saying that Jesus Christ existed in the essential being of God. While there may have been others to experience humility. There may have been great leaders that were humbled. But we could never compare this to the humility of Christ. Jesus Christ was God and He was humiliated to the lowest point, a criminals death of a cross.It is amazing when we consider what the Bible tells us when man first committed sin in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve ate of the fruit and they were tempted because they would be like God. In other words they wanted to receive the majesty to become like God. It brought the fall to the world.
In other words, He was made nothing. He emptied himself, stripped himself of all insignia, all outward appearance of the divine to walk as human flesh on this earth. To take on the full nature of a man. Like a king who would discard his robes and his crown to walk among the peasants and be one with them. Jesus Christ put aside his heavenly robes and became one of us. He became a man just like us. Taking on the nature of a servant. Jesus Christ came not to be served, but to serve. That was His humility. He possessed supreme authority yet He became a servant.
Christ it says, being found in human form. Here is His true humanity. Jesus became human. He didn’t just appear as God with the appearance of a body. He became human. Jesus took on the full human nature with all the human characteristics. He grew in a human society as each of us has. He being God took on full humanity.
There were two things that Jesus could not do before He took on humanity. He could not suffer and He could not die. But now these are things he could do to the full extent. Because He humbled himself He would know suffering as no one had ever known suffering before. He would know death, even the most despicable death of a criminal. He experienced that humility of humbling himself to the point of death.
Paul wants to communicate a message to the Philippians. He wants to communicate a message of humility. He is telling them they need to put their own selfish interests aside and follow the example of Jesus Christ in humility. It is the ultimate illustration of humility. Jesus humbled himself. Won’t you heed the message of Paul and live in humility? Won’t you put aside your self-interests and live by the example of Christ who humbled himself more than anyone else?
Humility is the example of
Christ. If you say, "I want to be a good Christian," you must follow
Christ in the attitude of humility. Only if you will humble yourself and
allow Jesus to be your example and motivate you to the service in
humility will you truly be able to be the Christian that you would like
to be and that God would have you to be.
Verse 8, "Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
We see that Christ set an example of humility. In verse 8 we see a further example of Jesus Christ. We see the example of obedience. Jesus Christ was obedient. His example extends beyond humility to obedience. Jesus placed Himself as a servant to do God’s will and He never shrank from that. Jesus was human like other men, yet He was different in that He was perfectly obedient. He never was disobedient at any time to what God would have for him. He lived always in the will of God. Jesus obedience went to the ultimate, that of death. He was obedient unto death. There is the ultimate test of obedience.
Here we see Jesus set the ultimate example of obedience. He was obedient to the point of death. His whole mission in coming to earth was about that death on the cross. He came to die. He was obedient and never shrank from his mission, which included death. He went beyond merely death, but he died a shameful death. A death of crucifixion the most degrading death known. It was torturous and shameful. It was to be a curse to die on a cross. Jesus was willing to go to that extreme of death on a cross.
Today, when someone is sentenced to death it is through a lethal injection. A death that is painless and private. The cross was the extreme of torture, it was not only painful, it was public. They chose the cross because it was the most disgraceful, humiliating death. Jesus was obedient to death, even unto death on a cross. What a contrast to go from a throne of glory to a death as dishonorable as the cross. To be God all-powerful and to go to the cross seemingly helpless. To be the Savior of the world and, be spat on, beaten, then nailed to a cross to die and be mocked when they said, "You saved others why don’t you save yourself?"
He completely submitted Himself to the will of the Father. What an incredible example of obedience Jesus demonstrates for all of us. And it was because of your sin and my sin and God’s love that Jesus took this step of obedience. His soul was overwhelmed with sorrow. Jesus Christ fell on his face and said to his Father, "if it is possible let this cup pass from me. Let me not go through this on the cross. It is so terrible but he said, nevertheless, not my will but yours." It was the ultimate example of complete submission and willing obedience.
If Christ was willing to do this for you won’t you live in obedience for Him? That is how Paul wanted to motivate the Philippians to be obedient. He used the example of Jesus and His ultimate obedience to the Father. This should be an example for all of us to commit ourselves to complete obedience to Jesus Christ.
Jesus said if you obey my commands you will remain in my love. He said just as I have obeyed my Fathers commands and abide in His love. Jesus was obedient to the Father and experienced the great love that the Father has. They had a great relationship because of his obedience. Jesus is saying to each one of you, if you will obey His commands and be obedient to Christ you will abide in the love of Christ as He abided in the love of the Father.
Beloved, seeking our own glory always ends in destruction. Adam and Eve sought their own glory and it brought the fall of the human race. But Jesus Christ humbled Himself, in obedience and humility, it meant salvation and redemption became available to the entire human race.
However, we know the cross was not the end. It was simply the entrance into glory. When we put a cross up as a symbol, we put an empty cross because Jesus rose again and His death on the cross was not the final word. It was an entrance to the glorification and victory of Jesus Christ. It was because Jesus defeated death on the cross that we celebrate new life in Christ. It was because of His obedience that we have the "Good News of the gospel" and a story to tell and share.
We have seen Jesus in humility. Now we see that he is exalted. He is raised high above all others. God responded to Christ’s humility and obedience. Jesus who was betrayed and died on the cross is now exalted. Verse 9 says, "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name." Jesus' exaltation is complete. He is given the highest name.
Then in verses 10-11, "so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Jesus went through the humiliation. He was obedient. In response to this obedience God exalted him to the highest.
It is the way of glory through the cross. Scriptures calls for us all of us to crucify ourselves. To take up our cross daily. We are to die to our own needs and our selfish, self-centered interests. We are to crucify our own selfishness that we might live to Christ. The implication of all this is not only that Jesus Christ is exalted, but that when we are obedient to Christ and follow His example through humility and obedience we have the promise and the hope to share in that glory. Those who truly put their faith in Christ and trust in Christ and live the Christian life will share glory in heaven with Jesus Christ.
In Closing....
What keeps people from Christ? Why are their so many today, who are without any interest
in Jesus? It is because of foolish pride. They think they do not need
Jesus that they are good enough on their own. Others, think God will still somehow take care of them. But nothing
could not be farther from the truth. The Bible makes it extremely clear that no
one is good enough to receive eternal life unless they come through
Jesus Christ. Romans 3:10 says "as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one."
Because God has given us freewill, each person must choose for himself, needs to humble himself and place their faith in Jesus Christ. If you do not yet have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I pray that today would be that day!!
May it be so...
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen