The Humility of Jesus Christ

Philippian 2:5-11

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Each of us, no matter who we are, bears one thing in common with everyone else—brokenness. Taking a look into the world, our communities, our homes, and in the mirror, this fact is unavoidable and undeniable. The brokenness within our world and within our own hearts are symptomatic of the deeply rooted issue we all share; we are all broken by and because of sin. By means of our own sinful choices, by the sinful choices of others, and by the sinful nature of this world—every one of us lives in the ripple effect of the fall in Genesis 3 (Adam and Eve) . Every bit of the brokenness we experience has its root in sin.

The most catastrophic result of sin—is a broken relationship with God, which leads to spiritual death. It’s what we are born into and, apart from heart change, we are left in debt and to a wage we cannot pay, (Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death...”)

What man needs, what we need is restoration—to be restored, redeemed, and reconciled back to God. What our most desperate need is, is to see the barrier b/t us and God removed, washed, loosed, and atoned. What we need is the forgiveness and remission of our sin(s).

Sadly, ever since sin was conceived, man has been searching everywhere for this restoration and redemption, searching everywhere to have our wage/debt paid. Everywhere that is, except the only place and through the only Person our sin can be washed and forgiven.

God knows all this—God saw this coming before one word of creation was uttered and already set His mind to

Send His Son

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Send His Son to be the propitiation for our sin(s)

Romans 3:25-26 “whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Send His Son to justify us from our sins and pay our wage

Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

The amazing truth/reality in all of this is God has so much compassion towards you; so much so

He did not forsake His own Son

Romans 8:32 “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

His Son went willingly for you

Hebrews 12:2 “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

At Calvary and on Calvary’s cross, the perfect, holy, righteous Son of God, Jesus Christ, bore the weight of our sin, endured the judgment and wrath of God, and suffered His Father turning His back on Him, so that you and I wouldn’t have our sins forgiven.

As our hearts should be rightly focused on the cross Christ bore and the empty grave, understanding the humility of Jesus & the obedience of Jesus, gives even more perspective on the impact of the cross:

(READ Philippians 2:5-11)

I (2:5) Jesus Christ is the supreme example of humility

Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,”

(CONTEXT)

This passage speaks plainly, boldly, and simply that Jesus Christ is God, yet He humbled Himself and became a man

This passage causes us to pause and think about what exactly this means

Jesus Christ is the Person who dwelt in all the glory of perfection

Jesus is the Person, who in full humility, stepped out of the glory of perfection to come to us—as selfish, sinful, and idolatrous people—for the single purpose of which the angel spoke to Joseph—Matt 1:21 “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.””

Jesus Christ is the Person who willingly, obediently, and humbly gave up everything, to become nothing, so we could have everything—Imagine the enormous step down in full awareness of what His purpose was---in the same breath, it’s utterly impossible to grasp the humility this took

(CONNECTION)

We need to see the humility of Jesus in a personal way. I fear this is absent on so many people, that in the deception of sin and the enemy man fails to see that Christ willingly stepped out of heaven for them.

II (2:6) Jesus Christ is of the very nature of God

Philippians 2:6 “who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,”

(CONTEXT)—This is critical to understand, b/c failing to see Jesus Christ this way, endangers you from seeing Him as your Savior

“of the very nature of God,” means

Jesus Christ was not like God, He is God

John 10:30 “I and My Father are one.””

John 14:7-9 ““If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

Jesus Christ did not just achieve a high level of righteousness when on earth—He was the very embodiment of righteousness

Psalm 48:10 “According to Your name, O God, So is Your praise to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness.”

Psalm 71:19 “Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?”

Psalm 97:2 “Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.”

Jesus Christ did not just walk more perfectly than other men walk, He was the very picture (essence) of perfection

Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Jesus Christ did not become God when on earth, He has been God throughout all eternity

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

There are three things to see in this verse that show Christ is God, of the very nature

Jesus Christ is of the “being of God.”

“Being”—means

Existence

What a person is within and without

The very essence of a person; what a person is

The part of a person that cannot be changed

Note what John says to this:

Again see John 1:1.

Note what truth this reveals about Jesus

It means that Jesus Christ is God—He is the very being of God

Jesus Christ is, “in the form of God.”

“Form” means

Permanent/constant being of a person

The very essence of a person, that part of a person that never changes

It is the unchangeable being

Note what the Bible says about this:

Hebrews 1:3 “who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Note what truth this reveals about Jesus

Jesus is the very essence, being, and image of God. He is the divine, unchangeable God Himself

Jesus dwells in the very perfection and essence of God

Jesus is (1) unchanging, (2) constant, and (3) unchangeable

Jesus Christ is “equal with God.”

“Equal” means

To be on an equal basis with God

To possess all the qualities and attributes of God Himself

“Robbery” this world in the Greek, is a picture of

A thief seeking to snatch or take something that is not his

What’s this have to do with Jesus?

Jesus was constantly claiming

To be God

To be the Son of God

To have the nature of God

To be one with God

To be on an equal basis with God

Note the truth behind this verse then:

Jesus Christ did not have to rob or snatch at equality with God—He was already on equal basis with God

It’s hard to capture in these first few verses the depth of who Jesus Christ is, because there are no human words to describe Him as He truly is

John could only use some of the precious things of this world to describe seeing Jesus Christ in all His glory in Revelation 1:14-16), because again Jesus defies description—our human language just cannot describe Jesus the way He truly is:

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So what’s about to be said in these next few verses, about what Christ accomplished—speaks to the humility He possessed in stepping out of heaven and speaks to the truth of how much

Compassion,

Love,

Desire God has to see your sin atoned for

And about

How valuable you are to God and how

Worth it You are, that He would send His Son to die for you

III (2:7) Christ emptied Himself and became a man

Philippians 2:7 “but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.”

(CONTEXT)—Remember what we’ve just discussed about Jesus Christ---that he took one great obedient & humble step down from heaven to earth…scholars & theologians do not call this the “humility of Christ, but the humiliation of Christ

Jesus Christ, who is the Sovereign Lord of the universe—He who existed

In eternity and perfection

In glory and majesty

In dominion and power

Stepped down and became a man

The one deserving of all honor and service—took the form of a servant

The one whom we are to love, came and loved us

The one whom we are to seek, came to seek us ought

The one whom we owe a debt to, came and paid our debt

(CONTEXT)

Jesus made Himself of “no reputation,” meaning He emptied Himself (“Emptied”—this word means to be completely empty (like pouring water from a glass until it is empty)

What was emptied? This passage doesn’t say, but we know this, “This “emptying” cannot mean that Jesus divested (gave up) any of His divine attributes, for deity diminished ceases to be deity.” (David Jeremiah)

Jesus did not lay aside ANY of His deity—He could not cease to be who He was—(remember the word “morphe” used to describe Him)

What does Scripture teach us then?

He laid aside His right to experience only the glory and majesty, honor, and worship of Heaven;

He laid aside His right to only appear in heaven

In coming to earth, Jesus Christ experienced the exact opposite of the glory, majesty, and honor He was (is) due. What He endured for you, leading to and including the crucifixion, speaks to His love and desire to see you restored and redeemed:

He was

⇒born to an unwed mother (Mt. 1:18–19).

⇒ born in a stable, the worst of conditions (Lu. 2:7).

⇒ born to poor parents (Lu. 2:24).

⇒ having his life threatened as a baby (Mt. 2:13f).

⇒ being the cause of unimaginable sorrow (Mt. 2:16f).

⇒ having to be moved and shifted as a baby (Mt. 2:13f).

⇒ being reared in a despicable place, Nazareth (Lu. 2:39).

⇒ having His father die during His youth (see note, pt. 3—Mt. 13:53–58).

⇒ having to support His mother, brothers, and sisters (see note, pt. 3—Mt. 13:53–58).

⇒ having no home, not even a place to lay His head (Mt. 8:20; Lu. 9:58).

⇒ hated and opposed by religionists (Mk. 14:1–2).

⇒ charged with insanity (Mk. 3:21).

⇒ charged with demon possession (Mk. 3:22).

⇒ opposed by His own family (Mk. 3:31–32).

⇒ rejected, hated, and opposed by audiences to whom He spoke (Mt. 13:53–58; Lu. 4:28–29).

⇒ betrayed by a close friend (Mk. 14:10–11, 18).

⇒ left alone, rejected, and forsaken by all His friends (Mk. 14:50).

⇒ tried before the high court of the land on the charge of treason (Jn. 18:33).

⇒ executed by crucifixion, the worst possible death (Jn. 19:16f).

Jesus, “was made in the likeness of men”

“Was made” means to become; this refers to a definite entrance into time; At a definite point in time, God the Son became a man, without ceasing to be God

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

1 Timothy 3:16 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.”

Jesus did not come to this earth as a prince, great leader, military or political, upon earth

Jesus did not come to receive homage and service of men

Scholars say that Jesus’, “whole life was a life of humiliation, meanness, poverty, and disgrace; he had nowhere to lay his head, lived upon alms, was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, did not appear with external pomp, or any marks of distinction from other men. This was the humiliation of his life (Matthew Henry)

Luke 22:27 “For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.”

John 13:4-5 “rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.”

2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”

Philippian 2:7 “but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.”

IV (2:8) The extent of Christ’s humility (THIS IS WHAT WE REJOICE IN TONIGHT AND EVERY DAY)—His humility to the point of death, “even the death of the cross.”

Philippians 2:8 “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

Jesus Christ humbled Himself to the Father

Jesus was obedient to God the Father; it was God’s will for Christ to come to earth and die for our sins

John 10:18 “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.””

Romans 5:19 “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”

Hebrews 10:9 “then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second.”

Jesus Christ humbled Himself to men

Jesus Christ willingly allowed men to kill Him

Jesus Christ did not have to bear such humiliation, rebellion, and rejecting…but He did; look at what is involved in the death of the cross

Christ humbled Himself to die

Christ humbled Himself to leave the spiritual world (what is incorruptible) and come to ours (the corrupted), to lay aside His eternal glory, majesty—become a man for the purpose of dying

Christ humbled Himself to endure the cross and the events leading to His death

Rejection—man, His family, all the disciples (minus John)

Denial

Cursing

Abuse

Arrest

Torture (crown of thorns, flogging, lashing, nails, etc)

Murder—at the hands of rebellious men, who He originally created for the joy of eternity)

Christ humbled Himself to take ALL YOUR SINS upon Himself and to bear the weight and suffering of them all

Christ humbled Himself to bear the judgment and condemnation and punishment of sin

Christ humbled Himself to suffer God (His Father) turning His back on Him

Jesus Christ humbled Himself and

Became sin for men, to die as their sin before the wrath of God

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Think on this verse—Christ became sin—In some way, He embraced all the sin of the world (ALL OF YOUR SIN), paid the wage for man (FOR YOU)

V (2:9-11)

Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

(WORSHIP TEAM)

The author of Hebrews says this in verse 2 of chapter 12, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Why would God go to such lengths? Why would Christ step out of heaven, take on flesh and go to the cross for you?

You & I are created in the likeness and image of God, the triune God—you are the pinnacle of all He has created—so first you are treasured by God,

Genesis 1:26-27 “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

You & I are sinners. Our hearts have been stained and tainted by sin and therefore a chasm exists, a void is felt, a broken relationship exists because of our sin and God know this and ever since the fall He’s worked to restore you back—so secondly, God knows you need a Savior

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

You & I cannot save ourselves. Because of our sin, we are helpless on our own to reconcile ourselves back to God

Romans 5:6-8 “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

You & I are seen as Christ’s inheritance; “for the joy that was set before Him...”

Ephesians 1:18 “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”

If you are a believer here tonight—

I pray your hearts are teeming with gratitude and gratefulness for the humility of Christ to step out of heaven and endure the cross which you deserved

I pray your hearts are teeming with joy and gladness that you are living as Paul declares, “...therefore now no condemnation...” in Romans 8.

I pray your hearts cling to the joy of salvation as you endure, persevere, and fight the good fight of faith

If you are not a believer, but God is tugging and pulling at you, to show you just how much you are loved, let me encourage you with a few things:

Every other religion, every other “doctrine” says you have to “climb the mountain,”...not so with Christ—He left heaven to come after you.

John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Every other religion, every other “doctrine” possesses leader who’s bones are still in a grave…not Christ—He is risen!!

Matthew 28:5-6 “But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

Mark 16:6 “But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.”

Luke 24:6 “He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,”

John 20:12-13 “And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.””

Every other religion has a misguided and false view of what real love is…not God, for His love can reach and restore the darkest and deepest sins of man’s heart

Ephesians 3:18-19 (you ) “may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”