This blog is based on a sermon from Philippians. Unfortunately, the sermon was not recorded. I previously preached this sermon at another church, when you can view here.
We’ve been walking through Philippians, which is a letter that Paul wrote from prison to a church that he loved very much.
In the last two posts, we’ve seen:
First, that we should live worthy of the gospel in the face of external opposition (1:27-30).
Second, that our church should be marked by unity and we should practice humility, and service (2:1-4).
We cannot achieve unity in our church simply by me preaching on it. I agree with Tony Merida:
“Unity is a result of people adoring and emulating Jesus. The more we behold His glory and imitate His character, the more unified we will be as a church.”
tony merida
In simple terms, we should adore Jesus and live like Jesus.
Our text today is one of the most famous passages in the New Testament and is one of the foremost Christological passages. It is sometimes referred to as the humiliation and exaltation of Jesus.
Sermon Text: Philippians 2:5-11
BIG IDEA: The humiliation and exaltation of Jesus should lead us to follow Jesus’ example and to worship Him as Lord of all.
We are to have the attitude of Christ (5)
v. 5 – “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,”
The ESV says “mind”. The NIV says “mind-set.” Most translations say “attitude.”
We are to think like Jesus, and value what he values. In this context, we see that Jesus values humility and service more than self-exaltation.
The attitude of Christians should reflect the attitude of their master, Jesus Christ.
When Paul says that we are to have the mind or attitude of Christ, he is saying that we should not be prideful and selfish, but rather that we should be humble and selflessly serve others.
In this passage, we see the attitude of Christ. First, we see his humility:
“did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (6)
“emptied himself” or “made himself nothing” (7)
We also see his service:
“took the form of a servant” (7)
“became a man and died on the cross” (8)
The world lives to get and get and get—more pleasure, more praise, more money. What Paul is saying to us is that as Christians, we are to imitate Christ, who came to give and give and give.
As we look at Philippians 2:6-11 this morning, I want you think about these questions:
- Do you seek to get, get, and get, or to give, give, and give?
- Do you have the mind/attitude of Christ?
- Are you humbly seeking serve others within the church as well as those outside the church?
We are to have the attitude of Christ. We are also to learn humility from Christ.
We are to learn humility from Christ (6-8)
Jesus’ Humble Renunciation (6)
“who, though he was in the form of God”
The phrase “form of God” doesn’t mean that Jesus “had some Godlike qualities or appearance, but that he was of the same nature or essence.”
Jesus was the true and exact nature of God. This phrase means that Jesus was and is equal with God.
Biblical Christianity says is that there is one God who has eternally existed in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is the eternal Son of God. He was not created. There was never a time when the Son of God did not exist.
“We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made.”
Council of Nicea (325 AD)
John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 17:5
And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
“did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (6)
This means that although Jesus was God, He did not use his high position for His own advantage but chose to serve and to give. Jesus deserved the praise of every person He encountered but He lived open-handedly and provided an example for all of us to follow.
So often, we live exactly the opposite of how Christ lived.
- We want to exalt ourselves, but Jesus made himself nothing and submitted to the will of the Father.
- We want to be in charge, but Jesus took the form of a slave.
- We reject God’s Word in sinful disobedience, but Jesus perfectly obeyed God’s Word.
- We so often give in to temptation, but Jesus always overcame temptation.
What are you grasping for? What are you holding onto?
Are you living for pleasure?
Are you seeking power and position?
Are you living for money?
Have you bought into the lie of the prosperity gospel? Do you think that if you come to church and give that God will make you happy, healthy, and wealthy?
Christians are not immune to pride and selfishness.
We see it in the SBC with denominational politics – pastors promoting themselves and slandering others on social media.
We see women seeking to be pastors when God has forbidden it.
In many churches, there are some people who want all the power in the church but don’t want to serve in any way.
In our marriages, are we seeking to serve or be served?
Friends, Paul is calling us to live like Jesus, who, rather than grasping for a position of power, took on the form of a servant.
How can we do this? We need the gospel, as Paul shows us in the next verses.
Jesus’ Humble Incarnation (7)
“but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (7)
Jesus did not cease to be God when he took on human form but rather gave up his rights. He rightfully deserved to remain at the right hand of God, but He took on the form of a servant and was born as a baby.
Jesus, the perfect Son of God, took on human flesh. John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”
Norm Geisler writes, “Jesus’ incarnation was not the subtraction of deity, but the addition of humanity.”
A.W. Tozer said, “Jesus veiled His deity but He did not void it.”
Jesus took on the form of a servant.
Have you noticed in the Gospels that Jesus is always serving others and not the other way around?
While American Christianity says to live your best life now, to become a better you, to love yourself, and to slay your giants, Jesus exemplified true greatness by serving and dying.
Imagine what would happen in the church if we all followed the example of Jesus and sought not to grasp for power and position but to seek to humbly serve one another.
Jesus’ Humble Crucifixion (8)
“And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death…”
Jesus’ whole life was marked by humility:
- He was not born in Rome, Athens, or Jerusalem, but Bethlehem.
- He lived 30 years in relative obscurity in Nazareth.
- In his earthly ministry, he was known for loving the unlovable.
- At this death, he was nailed to a cross between two criminals.
Notice that the text says that Jesus humbled himself. No one humbled Jesus.
“No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Jesus, John 10:18
“…even death on a cross.”
In the Roman empire, crucifixion was the cruelest form of official execution. Depending on who you read, some say that Roman citizens could not be crucified. Others say that Roman citizens could only be crucified if they were convicted of high treason. Certainly, crucifixion was commonly reserved for the lower classes, especially slaves.
The Jews believed a person was cursed if he died by crucifixion. And yet, Scripture says that Jesus became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13).
Christ went from the highest position imaginable (the right hand of the Father) to the lowest (crucified between two criminals) because of His love for His people. His selfless love was an expression of His deity.
Even Hollywood understands what a powerful story the gospel is.
In the live action Lion King movie, Mufasa tells Simba this: “While others search for what they can take, a true king searches for what he can give.”
In The Dark Knight Rises, Batman (who is billionaire Bruce Wayne) fights to save Gotham and its people when he could’ve lived for pleasure and himself. Instead, he serves the city of Gotham by putting his life on the line every night.
Because of the gospel, we should be marked by service and love to others.
As Christians, we are to have the attitude of Christ. We are to learn humility from Christ. Finally, we are to bow the knee and exalt Jesus Christ.
We are to bow the knee and exalt Jesus Christ (9-11)
Jesus’ Exalted Position (9)
Jesus humbled himself, and God has highly exalted Him.
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, (9)
The phrase “the name that is above every name” refers to Lord (see v. 11). The Father has given Jesus a new name – “Lord” (Phil 2:11; cf. Isa 45:23-24). This name that is above every name is Lord. The Greek word is kurios, which was the word used to translate Yahweh into the Septuagint (the Greek version of the Old Testament).
Look at one verse from the Old Testament:
Is 42:8
I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to carved idols.
Yahweh (Lord) is the awesome covenant name of the God of Israel – “the name that is above every name.”
Our Adoration and Confession (10-11)
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.
Notice that Paul mentions heaven, earth, and under the earth.
Every part of creation will bow. No part of creation is exempt:
- In heaven, the angels will bow.
- On earth, humanity will bow.
- Under the earth, the demons and Satan will bow.
Every creature will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Every creature will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
In New Testament times, Christians were persecuted and could be killed for saying that “Jesus is Lord” rather than Caesar.
Every week, we gather as Christians to declare that Jesus is Lord – not Caesar, not President Biden, and not anyone else on earth.
Romans 10:9 says, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
To be saved, we must repent and believe the gospel.
At Christ’s exaltation, Jesus will be acknowledged by all creation as Lord of all Creation.
- Every one of us will bow the knee.
- Some will bow before Him and confess Him as Lord with great joy.
- Others will bow before Him and confess Him as Lord with despair and anguish.
How would you answer these questions?
- Have you bowed the knee to Jesus?
- Do you have the attitude of Jesus?
- Are you serving others like Jesus?
- Are you seeking to exalt yourself or to exalt Jesus?