Emptied and Exalted

Main Idea: God exalted Christ to the highest place through obedience and humility.

Life Application: Christ sets us an example in humility and obedience.

INTRODUCTION

Today we celebrate Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. Although the festive procession of Palm Sunday into Jerusalem appeared as the start of a glorious new chapter for the nation of Israel, Friday changed everything. On Friday at Calvary, the cross appeared as the ultimate defeat but signified victory instead. Thus the focus of this week will be on the significance of the cross. Without the horror of Good Friday, we would never know the joy of Resurrection Sunday. Without the cross, there is no Savior, sacrifice, forgiveness, or crown. In all of Scripture, the cross is the focal point. The Old Testament looks forward to it; the New Testament looks back. The cross remains relevant in our troubled and violent world since it provides the answer—salvation from the pollution of sin. While governments try to enforce morality through legislation, the cross presents inward transformation. Yet, the message of the cross will always remain offensive since it calls for death to self and surrender to the plan and purpose of God—Thy will be done.

The cross is central in Pauline theology, a “bondage-shattering event.” Paul clearly stated, “We preach Christ crucified” (I Cor. 1:23). He understood the Christian faith without the cross is weak and powerless. Through much of modern Christianity, the message of the cross is slowly fading. Few sermons deal with the cross or death to self. Although it used to be a vital part of our worship, the Blood of Christ is whitewashed from our songs since it might be offensive to some. If the Word of God is true, the absence of blood is a serious omission, for without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness (Heb. 9:22). While we should celebrate the love, mercy, and grace of God, we dare not omit the cross and the Blood of Jesus. Without the cross, the church morphs into a respectable club minus the transformational power of God. May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal. 6:14).

Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV)

Transition Statement: Christ calls us to imitate his humility.

· Emulate the attitude of Christ. Who did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing.

To say our attitude should be the same as that of Christ sets a high and unattainable standard if we attempt to do so of our volition. My natural actions and reactions are usually opposite the attitude of Christ. Our human tendency is self-promotion, not self-demotion. I want to be served and served by the best. Jesus humbled himself and took the place of a servant. He never demanded recognition but kept his eye on the goal—fulfilling the plan of salvation put in place before God formed the world.

Although the nature of Jesus was divine, he also assumed our human nature and was fully God and fully man. To move into our neighborhood demonstrated his submission. The dual nature of Christ baffles our finite minds but shows the love God has for us. Since we could not attain salvation by ourselves, God condescended to us so we can have salvation. Jesus made himself nothing, of no reputation. Christ stripped himself of his heavenly majesty and “deliberately chose not to use his equality with God for his own benefit” (Fleming). While Jesus retained his sinless nature, he chose to live as one of us by laying aside his divine understanding and leaning upon the knowledge and wisdom of his Father. The Incarnation of Christ is the supreme example of selfless love for you and me.

· Model the obedience of Christ. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

From the throne of heaven to a debased death on a Roman cross, Jesus willingly offered himself through humble obedience. In his flesh, Jesus felt every twinge of excruciating pain associated with crucifixion—the worst type of execution reserved for rebels and slaves. Even though Jesus prayed for the cup of suffering to pass, he willingly drank it in submission to the will of his Father. The cross stands as a solemn reminder of what God was willing to do to bring lost humanity back to a full relationship. Jesus emptied himself into a human state to provide a sacrifice acceptable to God. The cross is the “ultimate manifestation of God’s love for sinners and the grounds on which justification and reconciliation are made possible” (Sheldon).

Christ voluntarily embraced self-humiliation when he submitted to death so we can have life. Selfishness destroys our likeness to Christ and damages our relationships with others (Barclay). Even though faith is necessary for salvation, “it is not the meritorious cause of salvation; that alone is Christ and his death, his atoning death on behalf of all sinners is what saves” (Olson). However, faith is essential in the saving process; “like cashing a check, it activates the gift” (ibid).

Over the centuries since Christ died on Calvary, the cross has lost much of its meaning. We see shiny crosses decorating churches of all faiths. Athletes wear crosses while competing in sports. Lovely news reporters have crosses hanging around their necks. While these are witnesses to the sacrifice of Jesus, the original cross of Christ was anything but attractive. It was despised and abhorred by all civilized people in the Roman world. In Philippi, a Roman colony, the cross was a vile and obscene form of death. God redeems those things that we avoid bringing glory to Himself. While the Romans used crucifixion to deter opposition, God used the cross to express his incomprehensible love for us!

· Confess the exaltation of Christ. At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

No name exceeds the power in the name of Jesus! Through his name, we find redemption from the defilement of sin. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). That name inspires reverence, worship, and praise. It is indeed, “Jesus, Messiah, name above all names, blessed Redeemer, Immanuel. The rescue for sinners, the ransom from heaven, Jesus, Messiah, Lord of all.” Forever, Christ is both the son of God and the son of man since he reentered heaven bearing his human appearance. We know this is true from the testimony of the first martyr of the church, Stephen, who cried, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56). Jesus is no longer in the grave but is reigning in power and authority! Charles Wesley wrote:

Jesus! The name high overall,

In hell or earth or sky.

Angels and mortals prostrate fall,

And devils fear and fly.

Even though humanity lives in rebellion against God, there will be a day when every tongue confesses the Lordship of Jesus, and every knee bows in worship. We choose whether we bow now out of gratefulness and repentance or wait until we kneel at the judgment seat of Christ when the door of mercy has been closed. The solemn truth is simple—we gain heaven by bowing now in complete surrender to God but gain hell if we wait to bow at the final judgment. It is a choice you and I make. However, our worship should always be grounded in love, not fear, since Jesus destroyed the fear of death with the reality of resurrection power!

Transition Statement: Christ was and is exalted through his humility and obedience.

CONCLUSION

No matter how far sin goes, the cross goes farther and provides an escape from the penalty for sin—eternal death. While the world disdains the message of the cross, there will be a day when every tongue confesses the deity and Lordship of Christ. Someday the cross will appear beautiful for those who despised it. Even though the cross appears to signify defeat, it represents the ultimate victory for all eternity! The cross is not merely an ornament but a symbol of the transforming love of God designed to bring us back into a divine and eternal relationship. The incarnational atonement of Christ recovers the covenantal relationship lost by the fall of our parents in the Garden of Eden.

Christ came to destroy the work of the devil—to render the power of sin obsolete. The atonement of Jesus addresses the sin problem and opens the door to reconciliation with God. Through the transforming power of the Blood of Jesus and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit, we can live in the attitude of Christ. Thus, the cross beckons us to surrender and consecration, to die to ourselves and rise in a new life as heirs with Christ! As we give up our rights to ourselves, we become sacrificial instruments of his Spirit. Thank God for the blood-stained cross!

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, we love and thank you for giving us life through your sacrificial death. Help us to follow you to Calvary, to lay ourselves down at the cross in complete consecration. Lord Jesus, as we celebrate your Atonement through these elements of communion, may we be cleansed anew and may our lives reflect your grace to everyone. We pray for a fresh understanding of what you were willing to do to bring us back to God. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.