You please remain standing for the reading of God’s word. We are in Philippians chapter 2. Paul has called the church to unity based on our being united to Christ, and here he continues to fill out what this means by looking more directly at the glory of Jesus in the incarnation. So we look to the reading of God’s word. If you join with me in prayer.
Lord God, you know that we are dull of heart, we are prone to sin, Prone to wander, prone to carelessness. So we ask that you would open our eyes to the truths of your gospel, that you would unplug our ears, that we might hear your word today, Father, that it would please you to transform us by the power of your Holy Spirit. You indeed are our gracious God. We ask then that you would make us hungry this day for your heavenly food, that it would continue to nourish us in the ways of eternal life. This we pray and ask through Jesus Christ.
Amen. Our Lord. Amen. Beginning in verse 5, have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. I’m sure some of you have seen that t-shirt, that humorous expression that reminds us of the importance of grammar. It says, let’s eat, Grandma, and there’s a comma there.
And the comma, of course, is what saves lives. Either following grammar correctly and a nice family dinner or a catastrophe for Grandma. And here in our text, we see the importance of getting the grammar right. It’s absolutely key. Paul gives us one of the clearest statements of the 2 natures of Christ Jesus.
And in a very succinct and poetic language, he’s answering that question of who Jesus is. And the right answer to this question is what separates Christianity from all other world religions. It’s crucial. The Allah of Islam is impersonal and he’s unknowable. Allah becoming a man is blasphemy.
But The goal is to perform well enough to make it to heaven for your blessing.
And in the world of the Greek and Roman gods, of which Paul is a part of, rather than that, these gods are just more powerful versions of ourselves. They are altogether too noble and too broken.
And then if you consider Hinduism and Buddhism, It sort of takes us back then to the impersonal and the unknowable. The goal is to disappear into the nothing of everything. And then when you look at the gods of our secular world, they’re pretty much just us looking in the mirror. The one who dies with the most toys wins. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die.
Take advantage of others before they can take advantage of you. Paul reminds us that is not the God of the Bible, the omnipotent, omniscient, transcendent God. This one has made himself known. He’s revealed himself to his people. And more than that, he has become one of us.
He who turned us to himself, we who were in rebellion against him. He did not give to us what we deserve. Rather, the Son of God took that upon himself so that we would have eternal life with him. We were the empty ones and have been filled by the self-emptying full one. That’s a lot to think about.
The grammar of that’s important. And because the Lord has shown us the true nature of his divinity, we have been freed to share his self-giving disposition to others. Now, these verses here in Philippians have been written about by scholars more than any other section of the book. Besides one of the more explicit statements of Christ’s divinity that we see here, there’s also a question of whether or not Paul is quoting here from an earlier Christian hymn. In one of the more erudite commentaries on Philippians, there’s about 100 pages of its 500 pages devoted to these 7 verses.
So just to simplify it, if possible, this short section seems to have a more stylized and poetic form and shape to it. And then if it was original to Paul or it’s a quote, either way, he’s certainly approving its content. Amen. The good news for us is that we would be hard pressed to find any other section of the Bible with as much information about it as what we have here. Every word is thoroughly canvassed.
The bad news, of course, is the sheer volume of what’s written can seem to be overwhelming. But this short section for the book of Philippians is like the center of the wheel. Paul is making this incredible statement here at the center, and the rest of the book sort of surrounds it. Like spokes going out from this very statement about who Jesus is. Paul is telling believers how they are to live out their own story in light of Jesus’ story.
As those who are united to Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, our lives are to be lived expressions of the very central story of Jesus Christ. That what Paul saw in his life, and that is the life that he’s commending to believers. And in doing so, he speaks then about who this Jesus is, how we answer this question. And he speaks of the deity of Christ along with the directives of Christ. Well, looking at his deity in verse 5, have this mind among yourself, which is yours in Christ Jesus.
If we jump back to verse 2, Paul there said, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. And as I mentioned last week, the word mind here is not so much about having the same intellectual thoughts of Jesus. It’s about having the attitude and the disposition of Jesus. One writer puts it really well. He said, Paul’s primary concern then is social rather than cerebral.
He wants the Philippians to adopt in their mutual relations the same attitude that characterized Jesus. Well, what attitude is that? Verse 6, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.
Okay, this clause, like all of them, it’s like a beef bouillon cube of epic proportions. There is so much packed and concentrated into these words. You drop it in hot water and it just, whoof! There it goes. Paul is saying so much here.
Jesus was in the form of God. What does that mean? The Greek word morphe speaks of the nature of something, its characteristics. As the Son, Jesus was equal to God. He preexisted with him.
He shares the same qualities, the same characteristics Of God. Remember, Paul was a Jewish rabbi, strict monotheist, raised with the Great Shema from Deuteronomy 6. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. That was ingrained into who Paul is. For Paul to say that Jesus is equal to God is to call him God.
The Trinity is one of the great mysteries of our faith, but it’s also a principal teaching in doctrine. We can’t avoid it, nor should we, because it’s beautiful. It’s amazing. It is what Paul is developing here. The Trinity is one God in 3 persons, equal in power and glory.
Not 3 gods, not a single God revealed in 3 different ways. Not different parts of the same God added up, like a third here, a third here, and a third here. Nope. He’s one God. Nor was Jesus created later, nor was Jesus honorifically adopted as God’s Son at some point.
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. One God, one essence who exists as 3 distinct persons. Amen. These 3 are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory. From the Nicene Creed, Jesus is God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father.
Through him, all things were made. And yes, this short-circuits our little tiny finite brains. Like, how, how do we hold all this together? What does all of this mean?
Well, hold on to the crash bar of this cosmic theological roller coaster because Paul is about to take a stomach-dropping plunge. He keeps going. Verse 7. All of this, emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. There’s that word form again, morphe.
Being a divine form and being a servant form are compatible. That is incredible to think about. The greatest emptied himself to be the lowest. It’s easy to read this and wonder, you know, what, what did Jesus empty himself of? Well, that’s not the point.
It’s not trying to say what he emptied himself of. The point is that there’s not some cosmic exchange that took place. And not the form of God for the form of a slave. No, Jesus is showing us what it means to be God through his self-sacrifice, his self-giving. Back in verse 6, do not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.
Like I said, every word in this section has been given great scrutiny. And this word for grasped or seized, it’s not a common one in the New Testament. And some have thought maybe Paul is trying to contrast here with the first Adam who wanted to be like God, grasped at the forbidden fruit, seized it. And here the second Adam in Jesus did not. Possibly.
But Paul is making a claim of who Jesus is far greater than Adam. The basic idea here is that Jesus did not use his equality with God as something To take advantage of. He did not exploit His position.
To be God is to give of oneself, not to get for oneself. Immediately you go, who does this? Because we don’t. We don’t do this at all. We’re exploiters.
We use greater positions to our advantage all the time. If you’re a senior in high school, you lord it over the freshmen. If you’re a higher rank in the military, you lord it over the lower ranks and expect them to serve you. We see this in first-class passengers. You get aboard first.
You get better treatment than the economy classes. And everybody in economy classes are like, man, I wish I could walk on that red carpet. We long for that privilege.
But Paul is telling us in this very short, compact, and poetic style that this attitude, disposition is not what the Lord Almighty does. In fact, he goes the other way. He voluntarily takes on our human nature, and even in this, he does not take the best position of being human. He takes the form of a slave. And Paul goes on in verse 8, and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Now, in verse 8, Paul uses a different Greek word for form. This time it’s schema, like you think a schematic drawing. It refers to the outside, emphasis on outer appearance. And one writer notes that this decision to become human was not a decision to stop being divine. It was a decision about what it really looks like to be divine.
And the Lord of glory dies in our place on a cross. The most ignoble way to die. This is the route that Jesus took. And for these Christians living in this particular city of Philippi, they were given honor as Roman citizens. And many of the people here were people who had been part of the Roman Legion, who’d been part of the Roman governance.
And it was a great privilege to be here. And this was a place where regularly they were hearing such things as Caesar is Lord, Caesar is King. That’s what they were used to hearing. And now they are being confronted with the reality of what it means for the Creator to become one of his creatures, to willingly die the most shameful and repugnant death for them. This Jesus is Lord, and this is what it means to be Lord.
And the result of this is not a reward. God’s not rewarding Jesus, but the result of this is the Father is vindicating the Son. Verse 9, therefore God has highly exalted him, bestowed on him the nature that— the name that is above every name, And Paul doesn’t tell us what that name is. The point is that this preexistent Son voluntarily takes on a human nature and suffers for his people. He is the exalted one once more.
You might recall in John chapter 17 when Jesus prays to the Father there before the crucifixion with his disciples, and there he said, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had Before the world began. I think that’s what Paul is trying to capture here. Again, it’s not a reward given to Jesus for good behavior. Rather, it is the Father saying yes, yes to the claim that this is his divine Son who showed what it means to be divine by giving himself for others.
And then Paul rolls into this quote from the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 45. Verse 10, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Christ Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Now Paul uses this same quote in 1 Corinthians 15, but this is an outstanding statement. In Isaiah, the Lord is saying this about himself. Isaiah 45, was it not I, the Lord?
And there’s no other God besides me, a righteous God, a Savior. There is none beside me. To me, every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance. Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me, are righteousness and strength.
For Paul to say that Jesus is Lord is to speak of Jesus being Yahweh, the Lord in all capital letters, which you see in the Old Testament. And this Jesus who voluntarily took on a human nature, submitted himself to death on a cross, has been vindicated. In the end, even Jesus’ enemies will have to acknowledge his absolute supremacy.
This is amazing. And Paul has taken us To these nosebleed heights of theology so that we not only know the deity of Christ, but also the directives of Christ. He’s not just trying to give us a theology lesson. It’s not just, cut schools open, open the books. He’s saying, this is why these things connect.
Amen.
He has given us this theological Willy Wonka everlasting Gobstopper for a reason. Oh, you are not going to come to the end of this one. You can suck on this all day long for eternity.
It’s talking about who God is. It’s just amazing.
But he’s not just there to amaze us. He’s telling these Christians and us what it means to be followers Of this amazing Jesus. And Jesus gives us directives. You recall Mark chapter 10, and Jesus said this to his disciples. You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and their great ones exercise authority over them, but it shall not be so among you.
Whoever would be great among you must be your servant. Whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
This is the DNA of who Jesus is. And he’s saying, if you’re my followers, this is gonna be your DNA because my spirit dwells in you.
And, and then at the Last Supper, what did Jesus do? He did what the lowest of servants were forced to do. He washed the feet of the disciples, but he did so willingly. And in John 13, we read, when Jesus had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes, returned to his place. Do you understand what I have done for you?
He said, you call me teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and teacher, Have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. For I have set for you an example that you should do as I have done for you. You see, this humility is not an aberration of Christ’s divinity. It’s a feature of it.
This is part of the directive of the divinity, of the deity that’s being expressed here. It’s not an aberration, it’s a feature. And this is super important, not only for Paul’s day, but for ours. In Paul’s day, for the Greeks and the Romans, humility was not a virtue. It did not make their list at all.
In fact, it was considered a weakness. It was shameful to be considered humble. Paul’s message about Jesus’ humility was completely countercultural. Self-promotion, self-assertion. Were thought of as virtues.
The strong take it by force. That is what people looked up to. If you look back to verse 3, Paul tells us to do nothing from what? From vain glory, empty glory, conceit. As I said last week, recognizing the empty glory Paul speaks about as a ravenous hunger that eats away our souls.
It always demands that somebody else fill it. It always demands that my pain or my hurt be considered first. It always demands that my triumphs, my successes be praised first. It is a constant pursuit of validation that can easily be seen in the self-assertive, but is just as much there in the self-conscious, the self-abasing. Because both of them are consumed with me.
What fills this emptiness? It is Jesus, the one who emptied himself so that we could be made full in him. Again, there’s this tension. What has been accomplished by Jesus is now what the Spirit enables us to walk in. The putting off of the old self, the putting on of the new self.
That is the work of sanctification. It is a work.
And in that, Jesus very clearly tells us that we are not to fight fire with fire.
We’re not trying to seize power and control from other people. We’re not lashing out at everybody who we think has hurt us in our woundedness.
We have been justified by faith. And that faith enables us to live by faith.
Life in Christ is defined by going low, by lifting others up, by pursuing Jesus as an end in himself. There is to be for us a self-forgetfulness that seeks the glory of others because we have been loved by an infinite God who has filled our empty souls with himself. Amen.
That’s why Paul is bringing this glorious nosebleed truth together with what it looks like on the ground.
Because Jesus calls us to follow him, our life is meant to be lived out with him in obedience to his commands, as his directives. Amen.
And this is not a part of our fallen human nature. This is a part of the glory of the transformation of the newness that we are to receive. And God is bringing us into, often kicking and screaming.
And this is where Paul takes this young church, the center hub and all the spokes coming out of it. That we would be enthralled with the glory and the majesty of a Savior who goes this low to save his people. Again, serving is not something that he emptied himself to do. It’s a feature of his very deity. It tells us the kind of God who has made us for himself.
It tells us then the kind of creatures we are to be who are made in his image and likeness. And where we, through our own sin, have so marred and defaced this original portrait. And Jesus is coming back to take us to what originally was supposed to be in us.
That is glorious news for the people of God, even as there’s a part of that that’s terrifying. Because what do we do? We exploit, we take advantage, we use our position to gain for ourselves, and we want to always one-up everyone else. Paul’s saying that’s not the way of Jesus. Like, oh, I wish it was.
No, you don’t.
This Jesus who washed the feet of his disciples says, I am your teacher and Lord, who takes his position again. As I have done, so you are to do.
You bear my name, you bear my characteristics, you take and share my form. Amen.
Amen. Paul answers this question of who Jesus is with a resounding note of the divinity, the deity of Christ, with the wonder and the joy of his supremacy over all things seen so clearly in a willful going low to follow me.
That’s why we call it dying to ourself and living to him.
And this is where life is found. This is where wholeness is found. This is where we can be filled people to be able from his abundance abundance to give to those around us, not from our deficit, but from his fullness.
And in that, there is a self-forgetfulness of about what am I getting out of this and who’s looking out for me. A self-forgetfulness because we’re following Jesus. We’re bringing glory to him and we are being caught up into our triune God who has made us for himself. And as Augustine tells us, we will be restless until we find our rest in him. Pray with me.
Father, as we come before you, these are high and great, glorious truths. Father, they are so far beyond us, but you have brought us To your Son, who is the very picture of deity. And so, Lord God, we would ask that you would continue by your Holy Spirit working in us to enable us to walk according to his directives, Father, that we would be able to do as our Savior has done for us, Father, that we could truly live out our justification by faith in the reality of the transformation that has taken place through that same faith. Equip us, we pray. Father, open our eyes to see further, to behold more.
Father, grant to us a greater capacity to know you, to love our neighbor. We pray and ask this all through Christ our exalted Lord. Amen. Please stand.
Discaimer: This sermon text was generated by an automated transcription service.