Prison Letters Philippians 2:5-11
Prison Letters Philippians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Last week, Pastor Chambers led us in the end of Philippians chapter 1 and the opening of chapter 2. This passage focused on UNITY.
Two things we see in the book of Philippians is Unity and Holiness.
Here in chapter 2 we see the opening with Unity
Then we have this beautiful poem about Jesus that we will explore today.
Following this poem we have a portion on Holiness.
Between Unity and Holiness this poem pulls all our attention to Jesus.
I was thinking about this passage. Often when it comes to exploring who God is we first look at God then try to understand Jesus by looking to God the Father.
Today’s passage does the opposite.
I like to think of this like a pair of binoculars. If you take a pair of binoculars, then turn them around and what happens?
Things in the binoculars appear further away.
Imagine using these this morning and you flip them around to look at the back wall. You then try to interpret a few letters written on the back wall by looking through these the other way around.
You can still see out of them. Things appear further away.
Now you turn the binoculars around and what happens?
Things get a lot closer
The detail of the letters written on the back wall get a lot clearer. They appear a lot closer.
Now think for just a minute about God. The Old Testament we seek to understand the coming Messiah by looking at God the Father. We here that the Father is coming in the form of a Messiah or Rescuer.
So we seek to understand the Messiah by looking at God the Father.
The New Testament the Messiah comes. Jesus.
The New Testament then is God coming in Jesus as fully God and Fully man. Jesus is God incarnate. Now that Jesus came and walked this earth we can then flip the binoculars around so to speak and look at God drawing near to us in Jesus. We can look to Jesus to see who God the Father is.
Want to know more about God the Father. Look to Jesus.
Today’s poem in verses 5-11 do this for us. It draws all of our attention to Jesus and as it draws us to Jesus it echoes and says see who God the Father is through Jesus.
So let’s jump in
5 Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,
That is to have the mindset of Christ Jesus. Change your mind. Change your thinking. Think like Christ. Look at Jesus and change your attitude to reflect that of Jesus
Unity and Holiness then take on the attitude of Christ Jesus
6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage.
Look to Jesus to understand the Father.
Form:
“the outward expression of the inward nature”
This is key to understand because some might would argue that Jesus was not God and he just took on the form of God.
That is not how Paul uses the word form in this passage.
Scripture uses the word form as the outward expression of the inward nature.
The inward nature is that Jesus is God. In eternity past, Jesus Christ was God. Now Jesus is God and forever in the future Jesus is God.
6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage.
Jesus as God did not need anything. He had all the glory and praise of heaven. With the Father and the Spirit Jesus reigned over the universe.
Philippians 2 is incredible because Jesus needed nothing and as the creator of the universe He did not use his position as God to be used for his own advantage.
Jesus did not think of how to serve himself but Jesus thought of others. His outlook or attitude was that of unselfish concern for others.
Jesus did not use His privileges for himself. Jesus used them for others.
That is crazy counter culture. We often here people say that well they deserve nice things because they have earned it.
Jesus had it all and as we look to God this is the God of the universe who did not use his position for his own advantage.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Four: The Great Example (Philippians 2:1–11)
A reporter was interviewing a successful job counselor who had placed hundreds of workers in their vocations quite happily. When asked the secret of his success, the man replied: “If you want to find out what a worker is really like, don’t give him responsibilities—give him privileges. Most people can handle responsibilities if you pay them enough, but it takes a real leader to handle privileges. A leader will use his privileges to help others and build the organization; a lesser man will use privileges to promote himself.” Jesus used His heavenly privileges for the sake of others—for our sake.
I want to contrast Christ Attitude with Lucifer and Adam
Lucifer
12 Shining morning star, how you have fallen from the heavens! You destroyer of nations, you have been cut down to the ground.
13 You said to yourself: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the gods’ assembly, in the remotest parts of the North.
14 I will ascend above the highest clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
15 But you will be brought down to Sheol into the deepest regions of the Pit.
Adam
1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden.
3 But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”
4 “No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman.
5 “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
Lucifer and Adam thought of themselves only; Jesus Christ thought of others.
We expect unsaved people to be selfish, but we do not expect this from Christians. As Christ followers, we are to sho brotherly affection to one another Romans 12:10 build up one another 1 Thessalonians 5:11 and bear each other’s burdens Galatians 6:2. It is key as Christ did not use his position as God of the universe to serve himself.
We must take the attitude of Christ Jesus and be others focused.
Think about the contrast of Jesus and the Caesar of Rome. The Caesar used their position to serve themselves. They had slaves and others who served them.
Jesus was the opposite of this. He did not use His position to serve himself.
7 Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form,
He Serves
He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave.
Form: the outward expression of the inward nature. Jesus is a servant.
Jesus did not pretend to be a servant. He was not “acting” as a servant. It is the nature of the God we serve. He was and is a servant.
Jesus put others first into action by serving.
Again we flip the binoculars around and focus on Jesus on Earth and what did Jesus do. He served.
He emptied himself. That’s humiliation when you are the God of the universe and you need nothing. You have it all. The God of the universe emptied himself.
He became a human in a sinless physical body.
He then used this human body to be a servant.
Think about when you read through the Gospels how many times Jesus is serving others. He serves fishermen, tax collectors, the sick, the demon possessed, the sorrowing
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many.”
8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.
He Sacrifices
Jesus came in Human form and the way out of this world for Jesus was to sacrifice himself for the sake of believers.
He became obedient to the point of death
He willingly laid down His life for the sins of the world.
Jesus served others and what was the ultimate price that Jesus paid in serving?
DEATH
The God of the universe had it all and emptied Himself and gave it all.
Many want to serve others as long as it doesn’t cost themselves anything.
The mind of Christ is that He gave it all.
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Four: The Great Example (Philippians 2:1–11)
Dr. J.H. Jowett has said, “Ministry that costs nothing accomplishes nothing.” If there is to be any blessing, there must be some “bleeding.” At a religious festival in Brazil, a missionary was going from booth to booth, examining the wares. He saw a sign above one booth:
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Four: The Great Example (Philippians 2:1–11)
“Cheap Crosses.” He thought to himself, “That’s what many Christians are looking for these days—cheap crosses. My Lord’s cross was not cheap. Why should mine be?”
8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.
Even to death on a cross
This is the center line of the Poem.
Death on the cross was a form of capital punishment that was limited to non-Romans and it was for the worst of criminals
The greatest example of humiliation is that of the God of the universe who had it all and gave it all on the cross to conquer sin and death for us.
That is a selfless attitude. It is the mindset of cross to live to give it all for the sake of others.
9 For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name,
Christ emptied himself to the point of death on a cross. They then put him in the grave and from that point on all Human hands were OFF!
God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name.
He arose from the dead and then returned in victory to heaven, ascending to the Father’s throne.
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow — of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth —
From Humility through service that led to the ultimate sacrifice of death on the cross to being exalted to the place that every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth.
Every Knee will bow.
This reflects Isaiah’s prophecy
23 By Myself I have sworn; Truth has gone from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.
11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord
Every tongue will say that Jesus Christ is Yahweh-God.
One day everyone will be made to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be.
The exalted place the Savior now occupies and the universal bowing in the future in acknowledgement of His lordship is all to the glory of God the Father.
Light hearted example
The game of baseball has changed!
Last year, playing Hollister and them constantly running the bases on us.
That is what is best for his kids
What was best for my kids
Christ followers the mindest of Christ is that He had it all and made himself nothing.
His very nature was to serve others. He could have demanded anyone around the table to wash His feet! He could have commanded angels to come serve him.
He didn’t He picked up the towel and washed their feet
He later could have left the world in cool fashion. He could have had some angels show up and escort him out.
Jesus’s exit was the cross. He chose to go out for the sins of the world
When you get the binoculars out and you flip them around you start to see the heart of the Father as you look at Jesus
