Philippians 2:1-11 The humility of Jesus

Harry Ironside is a well known Theologian and Preacher. He wrote a lot of amazing books and was a great and well known preacher.

Ironside was struggling with humility and wanted to work on the problem. A friend who was one of those guys who Iron sharpens iron. I hope someone appreciated that suggested that this Godly preacher walk through the down town shopping district of Chicago with a sandwich board on that had the plan of salvation on it. Ironside was up to the challenge so he did it. At the end of the day he said he thought to himself “WOW there not another person in Chicago who would do a thing like that.” You see humility is a difficult thing because Just when you think you’ve got it you realize you don’t

The Philippian church had problems, people who were arguing with one another and complaining. They also had women who were disagreeing. You see not much as changed in the human condition in the last two thousand years, people are still people. What’s normal has changed but people at the heart of it still deal with the same issues the church at Philippi dealt with.

There are prerequisites to having full joy.

Philippians 2:1 “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,”

Chapter 1 was about joy in suffering we have to remember that because a lot of bible verses start out with the word therefore, I have heard it a million times when you see the word therefore you have to remember what it is therefore. Our theme is joy through adversity. Remember the key verse. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain…. Therefore. Remember all that and IF IF IF…. Our three if’s of encouragement that is the word consolation I like to think about it as here is your consolation prize. But don’t be like a teenager woo hoo I got second place here is your consolation prize. No we live in a wicked world I am sorry about that you are redeemed in Christ it would be better in heaven but we have purpose here and this is your consolation but it starts with the three ifs…

JOY CHECK UP (foundational)

1 If you have comfort of love

2 if you have fellowship of the Spirit

3 if you have tenderness and compassion

This is like when you go to the doctor no matter what the doctor is going to take your blood pressure, he is going to check your heart rate and put that stethescope on your heart.

These are all three things that Christ implored the believer to have as staples in their life after He left this earth. If you are a Christian these are priorities in your life. LOVE OF GOD! FELLOWSHIP OF THE SPIRIT! TENDERNESS OF COMPASSION!

The Christian life is not about being wearing a tie to church, not cursing in front of the pastor, and not dancing on Friday nights. This is a checkup to see if you are a joy filled Christian do you have these things. Do you have an overwhelming relationship with the Spirit of God? Do you talk to Him often

Paul gives us 3 Keys for filling your JOY.

Philippians 2:2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

1 Have one mind with other Christians.

2 Have one love with other Christians.

3 Have one purpose with other Christians.

No wonder the song writer said Jesus and others and you what a wonderful way to spell joy

Pride will crush your JOY.

Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.

1 Selfish Ambitions

2 Vain Conceit

Those things will get you no where and they will crush your joy. When it becomes all about ME ME ME Your joy will be crushed just when you think that things are going well.

Look out for others to fill your joy.

Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Christians bear one another's burdens.

Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Remember when Jesus said take up your Cross and follow me. Remember the story of Joseph of Arimathea how he took up Jesus Cross and followed him. I ask you this, when was it that you went out of your way to look out for someone else’s burdens to carry them on yourself. I know you may not be able to like you once did, but what can you do? You can always pray for them and I mean be a real prayer warrior.

Jesus is the ultimate example of Humble Joy!

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

Di you want Christian Joy? Do you want to know what humility looks like? These simple words of the apostle Paul have huge implications for Christian living. Have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Paul is saying if you want joy in suffering BE LIKE JESUS. HUMBLE, SELFLESS, AGAPE LOVE!!!!

Treat others with Jesus’ AGAPE LOVE!

Ephesians 4:2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

AGAPE LOVE is different.

1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Jesus is the humble King of the Universe.

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

Jesus is 100% God.

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

Picture Jesus in heaven and I know that you can’t lower Jesus to our level, but Paul wants us to consider the decision that Jesus had to make. He was God! GOD! You know the creator of Universe. Think like God wanted Job to think for a minute. Where were you when God spoke the stars into existence as angels watched on in awe. He speaks of the great constellations which are so much greater when you consider the expanse of heaven. Which God stretches out like you stretch a rubber band. He holds the thunderclouds and snowstorms in the palm of his hand. He plays with Dinosaurs and Dragons like you might play with a pet bird or a kitten. He is God but He had to sit on His throne and decide that you were worth redemption. That I was worth redemption. My past with it’s sin and stain. The complainer that we are the sinner who spouts off his mouth with out thinking. The proud person who, has never done anything compared to God.

The humility of Jesus

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

this passage is commonly known among scholars as Kenosis passage because of the greek word that describes Jesus humility to humanhood. (I don’t think that is a word but...) It means that Jesus emptied Himself of His deity when he came to earth.

That does not in any way mean that Jesus stopped being God.

Charles Ryrie said.… Christ didn’t become any less God but he chose not to use some of his divine attributes.

I believe that it was Floyd Barackman from Practical Bible Training School I could be wrong on that said Jesus fought Sin Death and the Devil with the right hand of His deity tied behind his back.

Jesus came to serve His creation.

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

Jesus is the humble human who died on 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 is 100% God always has been and always will be, but He is also 100% man when He made that choice He became the bridge between God and man. He came to this earth Human Humbly Obedient and a sacrifice.

Jesus left the riches of heaven to become poor for us.

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.

Jesus wasn’t afraid to get his fingers dirty for us. Have you ever seen someone who was scared to get their fingers dirty.

Jesus got His fingers dirty to save us.

Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),

I will never forget a story that happened like 20 years ago. I hired teenagers to help at camp. Their were girls that were support staff and one day a terrible accident happened in the bathroom. Everyone went OOOO GROSSSSS!!!!! It was a big deal there was a mess on the floor. I decided to clean it p. I wanted to guard the door to keep kids out to keep things from getting worse because kids are gross. I asked two support staff to get a mop gloves and rags. Those girls sitting there comfortable who I hired to help with cleaning the bathrooms challenged me that they were not going to clean that mess. I didn’t want them too I was preparing to do it. It wasn’t my job during the summer. I didn’t make the mess I hired them to do clean it up. JESUS CAME TO CLEAN OUR MESS that He didn’t make.

Jesus did not sin.

1 John 3:5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

He didn’t sin, He took care of our sin.

Jesus took our sins on His cross.

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Jesus’ humble death exalted His position.

Philippians 2:9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,

I will never understand this verse but I believe. Jesus name above all names.

I look at it like this Jesus was supreme. Nothing greater than Him. It is not possible to be above Him. I call Him Asymptotal. An asymptote is a mathematical limit that you can get closer to but never achieve. It is like Absolute zero every few years another scientist gets closer to that lower limit of temperature but we theorize that man will never get there. Jesus breaks all boundaries. Jesus took the limit of His Diety and superseeded the boundary when He rose from the dead. There is power in the name of Jesus

Jesus’ humble sacrifice is the greatest victory.

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.

WHO FOR THE JOY THAT WAS SET BEFORE HIM. Christ’s suffering brought JOY!!!!

Jesus is the name above all names!

Philippians 2:10–11 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.

There is power in the name of Jesus. You don’t believe it try it. In Jesus name. Demons principalities and powers shake at the name of Jesus. Sin can’t win in the name of Jesus. You will be victorious only by leaning on the name of Jesus.

One day all will acknowledge Jesus is LORD!

Isaiah 45:23–24 I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath. He shall say, ‘Surely in the Lord I have righteousness and strength. To Him men shall come, And all shall be ashamed Who are incensed against Him.

That doesn’t mean everyone will be saved. That doesn’t mean everyone is going to heaven, that means that in the end we all acknowledge that Jesus wins. They have to as they are dragged to the lake of fire they will acknowledge that He is LORD. That’s a scary picture. BUT Jesus is LORD! You want to know what I like to picture. The devil! I don’t know what it will really look like but I know that it will exceed my expecations. I picture Jesus the Cloud rider the beast slayer and the king of Kings! The high and exalted God Man picking up the devil like a GNAT! To us He is a dragon but to Jesus He is a gnat! And as He casts Him out into the lake of fire He acknowledges with Bended KNEE JESUS YOU ARE LORD OF ALL!!!!! You win!

Jesus tasted death for us.

Hebrews 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Humbly surrender your heart to Jesus, TODAY.

1 Peter 5:6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

Think like Jesus! He chose from His throne to get up off his throne, get down and come to earth

Think in your comfy pew what Jesus did for you. Humble yourself before Jesus come to the altar. Maybe you need to be saved. Maybe you need to get right with God maybe you need to humble. Maybe you don’t know the joy of Jesus. Be humble. Then and Only than can you find the joy of the salvation of Jesus Christ.