Sunday Morning Service

Philippians 2:1-11

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“No Greater Name” • 3.16.14 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

- The church in Philippi had been a bastion of Christian fidelity for more than a decade. It had been resolute in it's support of Paul, extending to his present day.

- They had been an exemplary church for more than a decade, but hints of personality clashes were beginning to wear at the foundation.

- Paul seeks to head the problem off at the pass by encouraging his friends to remember what their fellowship was all about.

- Often we need to be reminded of the same things, as our vision gets clouded with unrealistic and unbiblical expectations. This passage helps to clear that up for us!

- For those taking notes, let me lay out our outline for the morning.

I. Paul's Exhortation (v.1-4)

II. Christ's Example (v.5-8)

III. God's Exaltation (v.9-11)

Text

I. Paul's Exhortation (v.1-4)

• Philippians 2:1,2 : "Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind." : The Philippians were to stand fast in one spirit, to strive together with one mind for the faith of the gospel (1:27). They had been called to believe and privileged to suffer.

- Therefore, on account of that reality in their lives, they were to take stock of what they had.

- Paul is not asking if these conditions actually exist. The word "if" is interchangeable with the word "since." These things were very much a part of their lives together.

- There was consolation, or comfort, a Greek word descriptive of a person who comes alongside another person and expresses support. The Holy Spirit is associated with this word.

- The comfort of love speaks of a person persuading another of how loved they are in Christ.

- Can you discern a communion with God's Holy Spirit in the church?  Do you sense His presence and His instruction as we gather? Certainly!

- When we gather in this building, in the Name of Jesus, God meets us and blesses us with His presence. That was the case then and is the case now!

- How about affection and mercy? The word "affections" is translated "bowels" in the KJV. In the mind of the Greek, their compassion was centered not in their hearts, but in their bowels!

- This is an expression of compassion, benevolence and tenderness within a person. Mercy refers to the emotive, external action of the inward compassion.

- Have you ever shed a tear with a brother or sister in this room? Have you ever been overwhelmed with another's person's experience and sought to meet it, if only in prayer?

- If you have sensed that to any degree, Paul commands them to fulfill his joy or make his joy complete by being like-minded. The NLT uses the phrase "agree wholeheartedly with each other."

- There is a sense of not thinking too highly of oneself, so as not to insist on always having another acquiesce to your point.

- It may not mean that you agree on every fine point of doctrine or in church practice. But being agreeable is preferred to be disagreeable!

- Let me go further. When there is a disagreement, follow a procedure that looks like this: Quietly, humbly approach your fellow brother or sister and express your concern biblically.

- If it's a matter or style or emphasis, it's better to swallow our opinions. But if there is a concern regarding a Biblical belief, speak to each other.

- If agreement cannot be found, and there are a plethora of subjects that this will apply to, agree to disagree!

- Complete my joy by refusing to be disagreeable, having the same love. We share in the love that God has given us as a fruit of His Spirit!

- This is the unique place where we experience that in a concentrated and celebrated way!

- Paul's joy would be complete when the Philippians were united in affections and in their attitudes. This would put Paul's and any Pastor's joy over the edge!

- How is this accomplished in the company of such a diverse group of people? Look at verse 3.

• Philippians 2:3,4 : "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." : To begin with, nothing should be done with a motivation of self promotion or self propogation.

- How many things should be done this way? Nothing! No Thing should be done this way!

- "What's in this for me?" "What can they offer me?" "How am I served?" If we are to follow Paul's prescription, there will be nothing in it for you per se!

- His is the opposite track: Instead of self promotion and propogation, with lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself! What a shock to the system!?

- Instead of self adulation, have a modest concept of yourself. The word itself is comes from two words, the first of which speaks of not rising far from the ground.

- It's as if you are in front of an important person of royalty and another person comes in. Don't get up to quickly or raise yourself so highly that you cannot return to your initial position.

- The second word speaks of your mind perceiving and judging that this is the right way to view yourself! That's what it means to have lowliness of mind.

- The world would scoff at such a notion, but in the church, this attitude is critical!

- Through that perception of yourself, let each person esteem others better than himself! "Better" comes from a word which points to a superior rank.

- Consider each person as a person that you should be serving! What a contrast! This is amazing, transformative, counter culture information!

- Paul continues with the action that corresponds to the mentality. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others!

- "Look," from the word which brings us a scope, speaks of not becoming focused only on what are his own things.

- We need to consider ourselves at some level, but we are not to become focused entirely on ourselves. It's incumbent upon those in the church to focus on the things that pertain to others!

- Think of how this applies to you. Do you find church life frustrating? Let me make it obvious: It's possible that that is the case because you are focused on you!

- Paul is not suggesting that this is a way that the church should operate when it gathers together. This is essential if the church is to succeed to represent the One who is her head and focus!

II. Christ's Example (v.5-8)

• Philippians 2:5-8 : "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." : What a majestic and powerful statement, the depths of which will challenge the greatest thinker.

- As a summation, Paul is telling the church that self centered thinking is directly opposite to the founder and head of the church, Jesus Christ!

- Do you want to entertain an attitude that is opposite to that of Jesus Himself?

- Who are we to raise our own profile, when Jesus refused to do the same? Who are we seeking to gain a reputation, when Jesus surrendered His reputation?

- Who are we to exalt ourselves when it's Jesus alone who is exalted by the Father?

- To anyone who has ears to hear, this is what the message of this passage is.

- And yet, as you can tell, this is also deeply theological in nature. Let's take a look at it phrase by phrase.

- Let's this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Have this modest attitude about you or take on the mindset that Jesus took on.

- This is written as an imperitive. Don't let the word "let" confuse you. This is not a request. This is an outright command which is then necessarily a matter of our choice to obey.

- We can change our minds, the way that we think about ourselves and our church! What was His mind? It's related to His person.

- Jesus, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. Before Jesus came to this earth, His form was recognized in heaven as deity.

- When the Greeks used this word "Morphe," they equated being and essence together in appearance. He was what He looked like!

- Being God, it would have been wrong to seize upon that title or the benefits that went with it.

- The picture here is of Jesus rightfully grabbing at what was always His. He didn't reach out and claim His right to remain as He had always been!

- Yet, there is no diminishing the everlasting nature of Jesus Christ. He had always been God before His incarnation. He was God during His incarnation. He never ceased to be God!

- Today, Jesus is sitting on His rightful throne as God, awaiting the arrival of His Bride!

- This has been the confession regarding Jesus Christ since the very earliest Christian writings and has been the dominant theme among all of the greatest church confessions since!

- Yet, during His earthly ministry, when he could have grasped at the title, risen and taken it to Himself rightly, He made a different choice.

- He made Himself of no reputation. κενόω speaks of a vessel, a drinking pot that is completely drained. Literally, Jesus willfully emptied Himself of the privileges of deity.

- While we can understand this mentally, there is certainly no way to comprehend this.

- How can you be God and decide not to enjoy your deity!? This is exactly what scripture proclaims. He was able to do this and that He did indeed do this.

- This does not mean that He ever stopped being God, but that He willingly forsook rights inherant to Him as God!

- He could have made the most wonderful bread for Himself in the wilderness after fasting for forty days. He didn't. He could have called a legion of angels to defend Him. He didn't.

- He could have decided not to go to the cross, but He didn't!

- He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. The language is very important here.

- In the same way that Jesus was authentically God having the same form, so also is He authentically a servant, equally represented in humanity!

- Do you see now why Paul and Timothy were happy to call themselves "bondservants?" That's what their hero was! Imitation was their aspiration!

- Jesus was not a pseudo human. He was fully and completely human while at the same time maintaining His deity. Fully man and fully God!

- That is enough of a condescension. That's already profoundly low, given the fact that there were other beings that He could technically have come as, a low ranking angel perhaps.

- No, Jesus Christ took on a very real human body that experienced fatigue, sorrow, hunger, and pain. In all ways, He was tempted, yet never sinned.

- That is humiliation enough, except that this is not where it stopped. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross!

- What Jesus did was supremely noble, freely, voluntarily, choosing a rank that was lower than He deserved for the benefit of those that He served.

- He became obedient, literally, giving His ear like a dependant child, to the Father, who led Him to the point of death.

- He chose to obey even in the face of what anyone would naturally do their best to avoid. He didn't even obey His own natural response!

- He listened to His Father's plan, directing Him toward His death and that, the death of the cross, the most public and humiliating death that one could face!

- Nobody talked about you if you had been crucified because crucifixion was reserved for the lowest of criminals. Even there, with all considering Him the lowest criminal, Jesus chose obedience!

- He made a choice to pursue this horrifying course for the sake of those who would believe upon Him, for you and I! What was the result. Look at verse 9.

III. God's Exaltation (v.9-11)

• Philippians 2:9-11 : "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."  : Because of Christ's unprecedented choice for humility, God also made a choice regarding Him. God highly exalted Him.

- Notice that even here, Jesus did not graduate or promote Himself. He did not march back into heaven and proclaim, "I did what you wanted. Now, crown me!"

- Even here, Jesus waits for God's approval and promotion! What a lesson to anyone who seeks to promote themselves in the body of Christ! Jesus, who rightly owned and earned it did not!

- God lifted Jesus beyond any category. He has His own rank and that rank is well beyond any other rank! His Name is restored to Him and is above every other name!

- The reputation that Jesus surrendered at His incarnation, was restored to Him at the resurrection!

- Now, as a consequence, every knee everywhere must bow. Every knee in heaven of the angelic host that supports God's Kingdom and serves God's people will bow.

- Every knee of every redeemed person in the history of salvation gratefully bows now!

- Every knee on earth, of those living and breathing when He comes. Every knee in hell who have hated the Kingdom and sought to reject Christ in favor of their own righteousness will bow.

- This is not a forced confession. This is a rational, obvious truth that will require acknowledgement by every person who has ever lived!

- Every knee will bow eventually. This is not something that is optional and only for Christians. Paul is telling us that this has universal application!

- There are some who will bow with tears of joy in their eyes for the fulfillment of the eschaton. There are others who will bow begrudgingly, with tears of madness at their hatred of Jesus!

- Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, acknowledging openly and publically, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the genuine value of God the Father!

- I really can't imagine anyone missing the clear teaching regarding the nature of Jesus Christ, being both divine and human that is contained here.

- Anyone wishing to believe otherwise must do hermeneutical gymnastics to support their highly flawed and false case!

- Aside from the word "form" and His equality with God, note two final proofs.

- This last phrase that we looked at was not original to Paul, but was a direct quote from the book of Isaiah 45. In that chapter, God speaks the entire time and utters these words near the end.

• Isaiah 45:22-25 : "Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth!
For I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath. He shall say, ‘Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, and all shall be ashamed who are incensed against Him. In the Lord all the descendants of Israel shall be justified, and shall glory.’" : Paul rightly understands that this passage was uttered by Jesus Himself in His pre-incarnate state of glory regarding Himself!

- The words of God in the Old Testament are attributed to Jesus Christ!

- Finally, note the word "Lord," "Kurios" in the Greek. When Paul wrote this letter, the Old Testament had been translated from it's original language into Greek.

- It is called the Septuagint. Everywhere in that document when the name of God Almighty is written, the translators employed the term "Kurios."

- Guess what term Paul employs to describe Jesus? Kurios, equivalent to Almighty God! There is no denying it! Jesus is the Redeemer God, who brings justification for His people!

- Three things are accomplished by this passage. First, there is a reminder that suffering is a part of God's plan. Paul was in prison, but was in good company given Christ's humiliation.

- Second, for anyone who had planned to continue their self seeking parade, now would do so in the very clear light of their Lord God's example! That's painful.

- Third, this Jesus is the only one worthy of lifting up! There is no name beside Him, there is no position close to Him, there is no rival that will unseat Him! He is Lord of all for all and in all!

Conclusion

- Would you love to see growth in our church? Esteem others better than yourself! Look into their interests. Be agreeable together, even when you disagree.

- Our Lord's example sets the pattern. He saw our need and esteemed us in His actions.

- As we move toward communion, would you consider that afresh: The very blood of the God Man was shed sacrificially to provide atonement for your sin.

- The same blood that provides the basis for your forgiveness, paves the way to make us all family in Him! I pray that we'll continually look at each other in that light!