Embrace Christ's Attitude, No Matter What | Philippians 2:5-11 (Part 8)

This sermon is about thinking like Christ, having the mind of our Savior.  Pastor Darien continues our study of Philippians.  This week we study chapter 2, and the mindset God calls us to have, the same mindset of Christ as He humbled Himself to become a man, adding humanity to His deity, further humbling Himself to take on the form of a servant, serving the people he was with, serving to the point of sacrificing His life, even dying on the cross.  Ultimately, God raised Him from the dead.  Paul tells us to have the same mindset.

As you can imagine, there are significant implications for this kind of lifestyle.  The person who serves like Christ is honoring others more than himself/herself.  He/she is sacrificing to make sure that the people they meet are cared for and loved.  Most significantly, this takes place in the proclamation of the gospel, but it also manifests in simple acts of kindness like washing dishes, picking up trash, feeding the hungry, and forgiving your betrayers.  

At Grace Christian Fellowship in Ladson, South Carolina we seek to live this out by being the best neighbors ever.  We don’t want to merely talk about serving, we want to live it.  This is why the concept of having the “mind of Christ” is so important.

2 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Philippians 2:1-11 (ESV)

Series bottom line:

God pours out his grace and peace in and through us as we show and tell the good news no matter what. 

Today’s Bottom line: 

Embrace Christ’s attitude of selfless servitude (to God & people) & let it propel you to celebrate & imitate Christ, no matter what.

Why do we do that?

How do we do that?

Intro

Possible illustrations - Bill Bright

Who is he and what did he do that makes this so amazing?

The late Dr. Bill Bright was Founder and President/Chairman Emeritus of Campus Crusade for Christ, an organization which began as a campus ministry in 1951 and now has more than 27,000 full-time staff and up to 500,000 trained volunteer staff in 196 countries in areas representing 99.6 percent of the world's population. In the past 50 years, Campus Crusade for Christ has seen approximately 6 billion exposures to the gospel worldwide. The film, "JESUS," which Bright conceived and funded through Campus Crusade for Christ, is the most widely translated and viewed film of any type ever produced. Since its use began in 1980, the film has been translated into 839 languages and viewed or listened to by over 5.7 billion people in 228 countries. Dr. Bright was also the author of more than fifty books. 

What is a slave/servant - 

“In Old Testament times, one might enter slavery either voluntarily (e.g., to escape poverty or to pay off a debt) or involuntarily (e.g., by birth, by being captured in battle, or by judicial sentence). Protection for all in servitude in ancient Israel was provided by the Mosaic Law, including specific provisions for release from slavery. (Pierced ear with awl)

In New Testament times, a doulos is often best described as a “bondservant”—that is, someone in the Roman Empire officially bound under contract to serve his master for seven years (except for those in Caesar’s household in Rome who were contracted for fourteen years). When the contract expired, the person was freed, given his wage that had been saved by the master, and officially declared a freedman.” 

-ESV preface

Larger context - zooming out to whole letter:

Paul presents Christ to believers as: (by HL Willmington, Outline Bible)

1. Our life-purpose.

2. Our life-pattern.

3. Our life-prize.

4. Our life-power.

Keep this in mind as we work through this letter. Now today we’ll continue looking at Christ as our pattern or example to imitate.

Our simple outline this week starts this way:

I. The Attitude of Christ. (2:5) - Have this! Embrace this!

II. The Hymn of Christ. (2:6-11)

What I’m still learning about following Jesus Christ is that it doesn’t matter how stoked I am about what he’s leading me to if I don’t discipline myself to follow him habitually and consistently. We must train to remain abiding in Christ (stay connected) or we will fail over and over. 

We need teach on the attitude or mindset of Christ. That needs to be firmly in mind.

We need to train ourselves to remain focused on that important truth.

• Paul puts our thoughts on notice in v. 5 when he says, “In your relationships with one another, have this same mindset (attitude) as Christ Jesus.”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HUGE application here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Paul gives us the example to pattern our lives after here.

• Paul also shows us the results.

Being like Mike won’t happen for anyone unless they are willing to discipline themselves towards whatever it is they are seeking to master.

Being like Christ won’t happen either unless you are willing to discipline yourself for godliness.

In 1 Timothy 4:8b-9 Paul writes, “rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.”

But being like Christ won’t happen if we live by feelings instead of a disciplined faith. And a faith rooted in selfless, humble servitude of God and people. To love God and love people means that we serve them seeing their interests as important enough to warrant some of our precious time and energy.

Trust me. This is much easier to preach than to live. I fail at this daily. This may be my biggest struggle.

II. The Hymn of Christ

    A. The selfless humility of Christ. (6-8)

    B. The appropriate celebration of Christ. (9-11)

II. The Hymn of Christ - one of 4 Christological passages in the NT. (John 1, Colossians 1, Hebrews 1)

    A. The selfless humility of Christ. (6-8)

1. See Christ’s humiliation in his humble renunciation. (6)

   1. Jesus is divine. Fully God. Fully divine.

   2. Jesus is equal to his Father. 

   3. Jesus is creator—not created.

   4. Morphe doesn’t refer to external appearance or shape but essential attributes and inner nature.

   5. Jesus didn’t consider being God grounds for getting but for giving.

   6. Jesus lived open-handedly.

2. See Christ’s humiliation in his humble incarnation. (7)

   1. Jesus laid aside his pre-existent glory.

   2. AW Tozer said, “He veiled his deity but he did not void his deity.”

   3. He added humanity without surrendering his deity.

   4. This is huge in our theology. Not getting this is why some turn to false religions and cults. 

   5. Jesus didn’t empty himself of his deity.

   6. Jesus surrendered his rights as king and creator.

   7. African Chief story (below)

   8. ”By assuming they form/nature of a slave” The slave in the Greco-Roman world was deprived of most basic rights. Jesus gave up his sovereign rights and became a slave. The sovereign creator made himself nothing. He identified with the lowest of society. 

   9. Christ “did not come to be served but to serve” Mark 10:45

   10. John 13:3-5 shows us what that looks like. He performed a job so humbling that only slaves would do. He washed their feet (with the water that he created from nothing). Breath-taking!

   11. He didn’t just look human—he took the nature of humanity. Fully human—fully divine.

3. See Christ’s humiliation in his crucifixion. (8)

   1. Jesus was humble his whole life

   1. Born in a feeding trough of a tiny village.

   2. Lived 30 years in relative obscurity.

   3. Earthly ministry he was known for loving unlovable people and humbly serving the least, last and lost.

   4. At his death, he’s nailed to a cross between two criminals.

   1. Jesus humbled himself voluntarily. 

   2. This is the way of the kingdom. (Mandalorian “This is the way”)

   3. As if it couldn’t get any more humbling, Paul tells us he’s executed in a way so horrible, it was only an extreme exception to crucify a Roman citizen.

   4. This was shocking in his day. Like we would pull back from a painting of a scene from the holocaust...

   5. Jesus willingly received 

      1. physical agony

      2. abandonment

      3. shame

      4. wrath of God for the sins of his enemies

   6. Isaiah 52:13-53:12 looms in the background of this hymn.

   7. CS Lewis illustration reminds us of the African Chief story (below)

    B. The appropriate celebration of Christ. (9-11)

1. His exalted position. (9)

   1. “Therefore” or “For this reason”

   2. The name = the Lord (Yahweh) or the Lord Jesus

      1. Yahweh is Lord in the OT

      2. Jesus is Lord in the NT

   3. Exalted means that he reigns over all. 

2. Everyone’s adoration and confession (10-11)

   1. “Everyone” - not just his followers will bow

   2. Some with great joy while others with great anguish.

   3. To confess Jesus as Lord in the first century meant that Caesar was not Lord. It was treason to say it. 

   4. Jesus is Lord was maybe the earliest of early church confessions. 

   5. Many died for believing and saying this aloud.

   6. Jesus is exalted by his Father only to turn it back to his Father. 

   7. 1 Corinthians 15:28 “When everything is subject to Christ, then the Son himself will also be subject to the One who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.”

Conclusion

Embrace Christ’s attitude no matter what. Here are some suggested ways:

1. Memorize this passage.

2. Believe this passage.

3. Follow the lifestyle in this passage.

4. Tell the world about the message of this passage.

Bottom line: Embrace Christ’s attitude of selfless servitude (to God & people) & let it propel you to celebrate & imitate Christ, no matter what.

Let’s pray

References/Bibliography:

“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)

“the Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)

“Exalting Jesus in The Book of Acts” by Tony Merida (CCE)

“Exalting Jesus in The Book of Philippians” by Tony Merida & Chan (CCE)

Let’s Study Philippians by Sinclair Ferguson

Outline Bible, D Willmington

DA Carson Basics for Believers commentary

FF Bruce NIBC Commentary on Philippians

To Live is Christ To Die is Gain by Matt Chandler

NIV Study Bible (NIVSB)

ESV Study Bible

ESV Gospel Transformation Bible (GTB)

J Vernon McGee Commentary